Three Hundred
by mbulsht
Summary: We fight. It is what we were trained to do. What we were born to do. We seek vengence for unforgivable sins, and for the heat of battle. We shall never forgive, nor shall we forget. We are Three-Hundred. Death be to the Tallest, and all they stand for.
1. Title

**

* * *

**

A DIVIDED EMPIRE PART TWO:

"**THREE-HUNDRED"**

By:

The Silenced and Zim Membrane

* * *


	2. The Resisty

A/N: Well, here we go again

A/N: Well, here we go again. Here is my next big fanfic, 300. This fic is a continuation of my previous IZ story (entitled, "Z for Zim"). If you have not read Z for Zim, then do not read this one, because it will not make any sense.

I will sometimes reference events, no matter how small, from the prequel to this fic. And so, even if you have read Z for Zim, I suggest you periodically refresh your memory, because sometimes the references to Z for Zim will be kind of obscure.

But the story is not the only thing that will continue from my previous IZ fic. I will also continue the tradition of inserting homages, quotes, references, and parodies from various movies and books and stuff. So, much like in Z for Zim, I want you to see if you can catch them. If you find one, don't hesitate to point it out in your comments.

And speaking of comments, my Z for Zim story finally hit 100 reviews!! Yay!!

There's not much else to say, but I'd like to thank a few people who have helped me. First, to Zimsmostloyalservant, for being the one who caught the most parodies and homages in Z for Zim. Secondly, to Microwaved Noodles for your constructive criticism. Also, to Orogirl for your enthusiastic support. Plus, a big thank you to all the reviewers and readers. I love you all, and we'll see if I can't get this new fic to reach 100 reviews too!

Sorry this chapter's relatively shorter than my other ones. I had a hard time writing it. I always have a hard time starting fics. Oh, well.

Well, I guess that's about it for this A/N. Lets get on with the story then, eh?

* * *

CHAPTER ONE:

"The Resisty"

Irken cargo ships are sometimes designed for more than simply transporting cargo. Often times they are built with the ability to configure their cargo holds into semi-comfortable passenger bays designed to hold hundreds of passengers at a time. Of course it comes as no surprise that the ship Z had stolen from Irk was one such vessel. Z was always well prepared. But it comes as much surprise to many that the masked irken whom people had come to know as "Z" was none other than Zim, the Invader who had supposedly attempted suicide over two years earlier.

But I digress; Back to the ship. This particular ship, which was what irkens called a "class two frigate," was a large vehicle, designed to transport hundreds of megatons of supplies, or to hold about four to five-hundred bodies comfortably. As Zim took the helm, seating himself in the pilot seat, the ship was put to use as it blasted through the confines of space, with a crew of three-hundred aboard.

Three-hundred. Now there's an interesting number. Zim found it most interesting that the number of followers he led should be so round. To be exact, there were two-hundred and ninety-four highly trained irkens, three humans, two SIR units, and one rat. But they were, in a sense, all of them irken. If anything, Dib was more irken than the rest: strong, loyal, and dedicated to any cause he put himself to. Any true irken possessed these qualities. And, like Dib, any true irken was a fighter. Fighting; that's what they were trained to do.

What they were born to do.

And so, this ship flew on its predetermined course through space, farther and farther away from this planet that we have come to know as Earth, each of its crew members fated to meet the hordes of the Tallest in battle.

Fate.

Now there's something else that's interesting. Fate: the idea that there is another higher power determining the courses of our lives. Zim often wondered if it was Fate that decreed that he should walk away from his suicide alive, or if it was Fate that had decided he would fight the Tallest from the beginning. Or maybe even if he was fated to die in the coming battles. These were the thoughts running through his head as he sat back in the pilot seat, watching the stars race past. Zim thought back to the day he had killed himself. For he had, in fact, killed himself. That day (which had been over two years earlier), Zim had died, and Z was born from the ashes of the ruins, like the great phoenixes of old. Zim supposed it depended on your point of view.

But much like that day, he was now gripped with a great feeling. Many may say, "Well, of course! He was tense about the coming battle!" But they would be wrong. It was not fear that swelled up within him. No. Not fear, not anymore. He had not once felt true fear since the day of the explosion. No. Now, it was only a heightened sense of things. The cold metal beneath his claws: levers he manipulated to drive the ship. The soft fabric at his back: the pilot seat. And, the sonorous and shallow breathing of the bodies behind him and in the cargo hold. Two-hundred and ninety-nine of them, ready to die with him without a moments pause; to fight for freedom from the Tallest.

Zim smiled. _Ready to die_, he mused. _They think they know what that means._ They knew little of such things compared to him. For had not Zim once died?

And now, as then, a beast lay in the heart of the Irken Empire. Patient, strong, confident, and savoring the meal to come. But _this _beast was made of Tall irkens, commanding their enslaved Guards and throwing ships about, destroying the integrity of the irken race. It was the Tallest, and their Armada; a fleet of ships that was vast and beyond imagining, ready to devour those who opposed them.

_The beast approaches,_ he thought. _And we shall ride out and meet it._

Zim sat, manipulating the controls of the Class Two Frigate, and the ship blasted through space, on its way to battle.

Its fated battle.

* * *

A soft alarm tone sounded from the dashboard to Zim's right. Skoodge, who had been sleeping in the co-pilot seat, started and looked around quickly at his side of the control board. Pressing a few buttons, he turned to Zim and said, "Message for you, Zim"

Zim leaned back from the controls. He had not had to use most of them, setting the ship on autopilot.

"Onscreen," he commanded.

Skoodge nodded and pressed a few more buttons. The screen, which had been displaying an outside view from the frontal cameras, blinked out and was replaced with a transmission from another ship. A Vortian appeared onscreen.

"This is Captain Lard Nar of the Resisty," said the Vortian. "We have detected you moving into airspace under our control. Identify yourself."

"This is Captain Zim, of the, uh…er…" he turned to Skoodge. "What are we, exactly? We haven't a name?"

Skoodge shrugged. Zim shrugged back and turned to the Vortian.

"Well, this is Captain Zim. I'm flying this ship towards irken airspace, for supplies. Who are you to stop us?"

Lard Nar glared at Zim. "We stop who we like, if they are the enemy. Do you follow the Tallest, or are you rebels also?"

Zim raised his chin defiantly. "We follow nobody. No living being is our master, and I ask again, who are you to stop us?"

The Vortian relaxed slightly. "Ah, so you're on our side."

"And what side is that?"

"The one intent on destroying the Tallest."

"I see."

Lard Nar grew serious once more. "I wouldn't suggest you move into Armada airspace. You've obviously missed some of the recent events."

"Recent events?" asked Zim, narrowing his eyes.

Lard Nar sighed. "I suggest you and your crew join us for a meal. There are some things I should show you."

They both relaxed. Zim smiled and said, "Your offer is a good one, Captain. I gladly accept. Now, where to I point my ship?"

Zim took the ship off of autopilot. Under Lard Nar's direction, Zim guided the ship to a nearby asteroid. As he flew closer, it became apparent that the asteroid was populated with many ships, and small installations. Zim pressed a button on his console, opening up the ship's intercom system. Speaking into a microphone, his voice resonated throughout the ship.

"This is your captain speaking. We have been contacted by a Vortian named Lard Nar, who has offered us his hospitality. As I speak we move closer to an asteroid which houses his organization, called the 'Resisty.' We will dock on the asteroid, and vacate the ship. There is information that this Lard Nar wishes to share with me, and I shall not pass up the chance. That will be all."

He moved away from the microphone and closed the intercom channels. Looking back up at the HUD, he saw that they were ever closer to the asteroid. By now he could see many hundreds of people scurrying about. He opened up all communication channels, broadcasting on all frequencies.

"This is Captain Zim of the class two frigate, inbound towards your populated asteroid. Requesting permission to land."

Lard Nar's voice answered through the speakers, "Permission granted, Captain. Proceed to the lighted area."

With that, a portion of the asteroid lit up, and as he drew closer, Zim could see a runway and a spaceship hangar. In minutes, he had guided the ship down the runway, and into the hangar bay without any problems. Zim waited until the airlock behind them closed before powering down. With a hiss, oxygen was pumped into the hangar bay. Opening all hatches, the three-hundred bodies exited the ship, and stretched their legs. Zim stepped out last into the artificial lighting of the hangar bay. A door at the far end opened, and Lard Nar stepped out, flanked by two large twin aliens of a species that was unfamiliar to Zim.

Lard Nar smiled. "Welcome, friends to the very heart of the Resisty movement. Flak and Falk here will lead your crew to the mess hall." He indicated the two aliens behind him. "But I would like Zim to join me in the captain's mess."

Zim, who obviously knew the military language and ceremonies well, said, "I thank you, Captain. However, I request that a few of my crewmembers join me as I dine with you."

Lard Nar nodded. "That would be acceptable"

Zim turned and called out those he wanted to come. "Dib, Zeekee, and Fin. Come with me. The rest of you, enjoy some rest."

The entire crew nodded and left, following the twin aliens. Lard Nar motioned for the four remaining people to follow him.

"Come, I shall show you our facilities as we make our way to my quarters." He turned and made his way through the door as the four followed him. They exited the hangar, and found themselves in a windowed hallway. The sides of the long corridor were clear, and the quintet of aliens walked through, Lard Nar pointing out things as they walked.

"What you see here," he began, "is but a small fraction of our activities. However, it is a good example of our doings; Everything that goes on this rock is controlled from here. The Resisty populates the entirety of this asteroid, but we are currently standing in the center of everything that goes on here. If you will look to the left," he said, pointing off to the side, "You will see one of the hundreds of mining facilities we have stationed on the asteroid. We are extracting useful metals that can be used to create weapons and ships. Next to that mining facility, you will see one of the many factories we have here. That particular one is used to make small single-passenger fighter ships."

The four others looked out the windowed hallway in wonder.

"It certainly seems that you have a very organized system here," said Zim.

Lard Nar nodded. "It's only in the beginning stages, though. The Resisty has not been around for very long. And we only just recently had more join us. Thanks to Z and his antics, our recruitment had gone through the roof. If we continue to gain followers at the rate we are now, I feel confident that we will be able to take on the Tallest in a couple of months."

Zim nodded, impressed. It certainly seemed that the Resisty knew what they were doing.

It was at this point that the group reached the end of the hallway. Along the way, Dib had noticed doors leading off from the hallway, to other hallways perpendicular to the one they were walking in. These other enclosed pathways apparently led to places all over the asteroid. He was impressed.

Lard Nar stopped at the door at the end, and leaned down to face an eye-scanner near the locking mechanism. There was a soft click and the double-doors slid open. Lard Nar motioned them in with a smile.

"When we built the captain's mess, I requested that it next to the hangar, in case I needed to welcome guests. I think this counts, eh?"

The others stepped in to find themselves in a large dining hall, the centerpiece of which was a long rectangular table with ten chairs and rather fancy table settings.

"Pull up a seat. The other captains will be here shortly," said Lard Nar, taking the seat at the end.

They all sat down and waited patiently. A few minutes later, Five more aliens entered and sat down.

"These are my captains," said Lard Nar, "They captain the ships in the fleet of the Resisty. Or, at least they will, when the ships are finished."

The five aliens nodded respectfully at the four. Food was brought in right away, and the ten people sitting at the table tucked in. Dib was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. He had for long eaten either his father's concoctions, or the slop the school fed them and neither were very pleasant. He ate hungrily. What would his classmates say, if they could see him now!

There was little more than light banter during the dinner; the aliens traded stories, and even Dib shared a joke or two. When they had finished their plates, the true discussion began. Dib sat forward eagerly, as the others talked about their plans. He was sitting next to Zeekee, who had spoken little during the meal. Both of them listened intently to the others.

"I am glad to see that we are not alone in this fight," began Lard Nar. "I was afraid we would have to take on the Tallest by ourselves, something which I would not relish. I had intended to request your assistance."

Zim nodded. "We will help you. How does the saying go? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' I think this applies here."

Fin was looking around, and he suddenly realized something. "Captain?" he asked Lard Nar, "Where are all the irkens around here? I know that the Resisty is comprised mostly of other aliens, but I am sure that I saw irkens escaping different planets. Why didn't they join you?"

Lard Nar nervously cleared his throat. "That is, ah, another reason I called you here for. There is something I must tell you. I, um… I saw… Well, it is probably better if I show you."

He turned around and picked up a remote. Pointing it at the wall behind him, he pressed a button and a screen was lowered from the ceiling. A projector that had been hanging above the table powered on and projected its light at the screen. Lard Nar put the remote down and turned back.

"Nothing I can say can really prepare you for this," he told the others. He turned back around, and said in a clear voice, "Computer!"

A small beep was heard, and a pleasant female voice spoke over the speakers, "Yes, Captain?"

"Play the video recording taken over the planet Vort"

There was another beep, and the screen flickered slightly before displaying the video. The aliens present watched as the ships of the Armada surrounded Vort, and bombarded it with their weapons. Zeekee gasped, They had just been there weeks earlier! Zim stood up, and walked quickly over to the screen, pain showing obviously in his eyes.

"Computer, pause video," he said.

The screen froze, right in the middle of the bombardment. He turned to face Lard Nar.

"All dead?" he asked, feeling very sick.

Lard Nar shook his head sadly. "No. Worse. Those were not bullets. They were packages of nanotechnology. And Vort was not the only target. As of three days and twenty-two hours ago, every planet that was ever colonized by citizens of the Empire has been completely canvassed by Nanites. We have not seen a single irken since, which is why I was so suspicious of your ship when it entered our airspace."

Dib was sure that Zim would have vomited, were it not for the fact that he had no stomach. Zim turned on his heel away from the screen, and spoke in a low voice.

"We leave, tomorrow"

Lard Nar looked surprised. "But you have only just arrived! What of the Resisty?"

Zim turned to leave. "I have no doubt in my mind that the Resisty shall grow to become a force to be reckoned with. But I am afraid your methods move far to slow for irkens not to become impatient. You say you will be ready within months. Once my crew hears of this, they will all be champing at the bit to get a piece of the Tallest. They'll want to jump into battle right away. And you know what? I'm going to join them."

Fin, Zeekee, and Dib got up to follow him. As the left, Zim paused and spoke once more to Captain Lard Nar.

"I wish you the best of luck, Captain. Thank you for the meal you have graciously given us. And I fervently hope that the two of us shall ride out together to meet the Tallest in battle. If not sooner, then later."

As the doors closed slowly, Lard Nar could not help but have the last word.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Zim!" he called as Zim disappeared through the doors. "My friends shall be aided, and my enemies shall die!"


	3. Raiding The Armory

A/N: And the 300 references begin already

A/N:

-And the 300 references begin already! There was one in the last chapter, if you caught it.

-Apologies for the long update. I have something akin to writers block. I call it 'writer's inability to deal with juggling school, music, and writing.' But whatever. I'll get through it.

-And people continue to comment on Z for Zim. Yayeee!! I hope I get more readers on that one. I had fun writing it.

-Since all the three-hundred are not the same species, I will refer to them collectively as "people" instead of "irkens humans and rat" most of the time, because it is easier to type. If you have a better suggestion, please tell me.

-In this chapter, the 300 get a new ship. I tried to model the front part of the ship off of the ships in Star Trek. Instead of having a cockpit, they have a Bridge, much like the famous TV show. That should kind of give you a visual of what it will look like. In fact, there may even by Star Trek homages. I don't know. Maybe.

* * *

CHAPTER TWO:

"Raiding the Armory"

What Zim had predicted became all too true as he stood atop a large storage unit in the cargo/passenger bay of his ship, addressing the crew. Upon relating the news of the Tallest's latest scheme, the others were instantly angered and began yelling furiously, each attempting to make his or her anger clear. It was several minutes before Zim could quiet them, and as he spoke, he could feel the fury radiating from the mass of bodies before him.

"Friends, you know by now that I would not stand aside as such things take place. I would fly off this floating rock and straight into battle, if I had the ability to. I am angered just as much as you are, but we have to face facts; we have no weapons, and little planning. Tomorrow we shall leave, but we have to carefully think this through. I don't want to see any of us rushing into a fight, and then being turned into a mindless nano-enhanced irken."

This quieted them down somewhat, for Zim was right of, course. But this did nothing to quell the anger. As Dib stared around, he realized everything he had ever guessed about irkens was true. They were a warlike race; peaceable enough, but if you angered them, you were in for a nasty surprise. Dib smiled. They were certainly ferocious for their small size. But then, so was he.

However, there was one irken who was not completely focused on what Zim was saying. Zeekee noticed this when he looked over at Tak. She was angered, sure enough, but she was looking down at her feet, not paying any attention to the irken standing on the storage container. Without drawing too much attention to himself, Zeekee edged over towards the area where Tak was standing.

It was at this point that Zim was finished giving his words of wisdom, and Tenn stepped up to talk directly to him.

"Zim, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we have full faith in you. You rescued us from that prison planet, and in our eyes, you are the rightful leader here. After seeing your antics on Conventia, I don't think anyone else here would have it any other way."

Zim jumped off the box to stand next to her. It was an odd sight, for Zim was shorter than Tenn. He was, in fact, shorter than nearly all of the irkens present. Yet here they were, asking the little alien to lead them.

Tenn continued, "I also don't think we should have to worry about weapons. Unless the Tallest have done any real investigating, I think the weapons cache I had back when I was stationed on Meekrob is still intact. I never really got around to finishing my work there before the Tallest pulled me out and threw me in prison, so it might be a little hard getting in, but I have some nice guns and stuff."

Zim nodded. Looking up at Tenn, he said, "Thank you, Tenn. Now let us all get some rest. Tomorrow, we shall leave for Meekrob. And, perhaps, the Armada."

There was some celebration at this idea, and everyone went to bed quite happy.

That is, except for Tak.

Zeekee, who had by this time edged his way over until he was standing next to Tak, began talking to her as the group broke apart.

"It would seem the Tak irken does not make the smiling on her face. The irkens love to fighting, no? You are not excited?" he said.

Tak shook her head. "No. Not now."

Zeekee scratched his ear with his hindpaw rapidly, in the cute manner that most rats do, and said, "You are not liking the Zim, I suspect."

Tak smiled now. Zeekee was adorable, as most rats tended to be, even if he was oversized compared to earthly rats. "No, I don't like him at all."

The rat nodded as they walked along. "Perhaps the Tak would care to tell a rat the reason for such dislike, no?"

Tak did not speak for several moments. Zeekee waited patiently. Finally, she said, "Many years ago, while the both of us were training on Devastis, we were two very different irkens. I was obsessed with honing my psionic skills, as well as training to become an Invader. Zim was… well, Zim was Zim. He was a brainless smeet. He excelled only in annoying those around him, and ruining the instructor's day. He was a constant nuisance to everybody, and was pretty much a dead weight to the training program. How he made it past birth, none of us knew. But anyways, one day he wanted a snack from a snack machine that just wasn't cooperating. He kicked it, punched it, shot it, but the snack wouldn't come out. He then proceeded to smash it and the things around it until the building around it collapsed, trapping me in a pile of debris for a long while. Because of this, I never finished training and was sent to a garbage planet while he became an Invader."

Zeekee nodded, "Oh, I sees."

Tak shook her head sadly. "I hate him for that, I really do."

By now, they had reached the area that housed the sleeping pallets. Tak sat down on hers and rubbed her large face. She was tired.

Zeekee made as if to leave, but then turned and spoke his final words.

"I understands, Tak girl. You has every right to hate the Zim. But you has every right to trusts the Zim also. You trusted him as Z, no? You liked Z, no? Why not you trust and like him as Zim?"

With that and a flick of his tail, Zeekee scampered off to his sleeping pallet.

Tak laid down and closed her eyes, but she did not sleep.

* * *

The next morning found all three-hundred people up and about at an early hour. Every one of them was excited. Even Zeekee, if not because of the coming battle, then because they would be getting weapons and other technology soon. Within an hour of waking, Zim was up in the cockpit with Skoodge, the self-appointed co-pilot. Upon doing some last-minute checks on the ship's status report, Zim fired up the engines and they blasted off the asteroid into the void of space. Zim sent a farewell and thank-you note to Lard Nar as they exited Resisty airspace and headed off for Meekrob.

The journey to Meekrob was not a very long one. Zim spent most of the time talking to Skoodge about irken sports, and at one point Professor Membrane came in and 'oohhed' and 'ahhed' over the irken technology. But the trip was otherwise uneventful, lasting only several hours. When at last they entered the solar system that housed Meekrob, Zim called Tenn to the cockpit to have her show him how to get onto the planet unseen. Ten had practically memorized the locations of each planetary defense system, and they were able to land without a hitch right next to the place where Tenn's base had been.

Tenn led a few of them into her base, and down a series of stairs to her basement, where she opened the door to her weapons cache, making everyone gasp in wonder.

"My gods," said Zim, grinning and rubbing his claws together. "Even I have never seen so many guns in all my life."

"Yeah, well, remember that time you got the Megadoomer?" asked Tenn. "Well, that was meant for me. There was some sort of mixup. But that was just a small bit of what they gave me. The Tallest trusted me with all sorts of machinery. They sent me this after I told them I was having trouble. Huh, who'd of known I'd be using them against the Tallest?"

It was a semi-large storage room, very plain, not decorated at all. But the fact that it was packed with weaponry from wall to wall made many of the irkens present shout with glee. For what irken did not enjoy the look and feel of a large gun? Reverently, Zim laid his claws on an irken assault rifle. He traced the curves and indentations of the rifle, until at last his claw reached the trigger. Smiling slightly, he lifted the gun off of its wall mount and held it up.

"Ah, my friend, my faithful friend," he whispered to the gun, "You've been locked out of sight all these years. Like me, my friend. Yes, we'll do wonders won't we?"

He spent a few moments more admiring the gun, then looked up and jokingly proclaimed, "At last, my arm is complete again!"

Everyone had a good laugh at this. When they were finished with their mirth, Tenn spoke up.

"Well that's all well and good, but I've got a question. What are we going to do about these?"

She walked over to what looked like a large containment unit. Pulling the blanket that was over it off, she revealed a large cage crafted from battleplate armor. In it slept about a dozen SIR units. When she pulled the blanket off, and light was let into the cage, the SIR units woke up and began aggressively destroying each other and trying to break out of the cage.

Zim recoiled in surprise. "What are those, defective SIR units?"

Tenn nodded. "When you received the Megadoomer, I received these. The addresses must have been mixed up, or something."

"And you kept them?" asked Zim, incredulous.

"Seemed an awful waste, you know. Now, I figure I'll just use the return address. I don't suppose the Tallest will want them back anytime soon?"

Zim chuckled.

"Well, everyone take something; we're going to need a lot of space for these on the ship," said Zim.

"Oh, that's another thing, Zim," said Tenn. "Come over here."

Tenn led Zim away from the storage room and farther down the hall. Placing her palm on a locking mechanism, she unlocked a door and beckoned Zim in. He gasped in wonder not for the first time that day. For in front of him, in an underground hangar, sat a large battleship.

Zim walked over to the ship, inspecting it all over. From the outside, one could see a round bump sticking out of the body; this was the bridge The ship was colossal, its size rivaling that of a large frigate. It had a large ovular body, with two massive wing-like appendages sprouting from either side from the middle. At the end of each of these sat a large cannon that was bigger then a car. There were many littler guns lining the wings, as well as on the top and bottom of the body. The ship looked somewhat like a porcupine.

If a porcupine was made of artillery.

"My gods," Zim said. "I have not seen one of these in person for a long time."

"Oh, wow," said Dib, who had just stepped in with Professor Membrane. "What is that?"

Zim turned and leaned casually against the landing gear.

"Dib monkey, you are looking at one of the most powerful ships the irken race has to offer. Back on Devastis, we used to call these 'Death cruisers.'"

He laughed, looking down as though recalling fond memories.

"They are the fastest, strongest, and most versatile of all ships in the Armada. I remember my Commanding Officer telling me, 'I tell you what, I feel sorry for our enemies. These things are so efficient, by the time you get a good look at one, you're dead already. On second thought, I don't really feel sorry for them.'"

Dib walked over to the ship, gazing up with his jaw hanging down. He had an intimate knowledge of irken technology, but this was amazing. Professor Membrane stood back, admiring the design.

"Hmmm. The shape of this vessel lends itself to being rather hard to hit. It would be a formidable foe, even when facing a whole squadron of enemies."

"Yeah, I have great memories with these things," said Zim, walking over. "Come on, we better get some weapons in here. Tenn, direct us where to stow equipment. We don't need that frigate, now that we have a real ship."

There was much activity afterward, as irkens were directed to stow weapons and such in the cargo bays of the new ship. Zeekee scampered here and there, busying himself by inspecting all the new technology he was being exposed to. Mentally he came up with ways to make things more efficient, and how to calibrate the weapons to make them stronger. Professor Membrane was very much the same way. Zim and Tenn made their way up aboveground back to the frigate to announce the change of ships to the rest of the three-hundred. As they led the rest of the irkens out of the ship, they were suddenly surrounded by hundreds of large glowing blobs of light. Tenn swore loudly.

"It's the Meekrob, we're surrounded!" she said to Zim.

One of the Meekrob detached itself from the rest and came to hover in midair in front of Zim.

"Don't anybody move," said Tenn, "These guys are made of pure energy. One touch from them would destroy carbon-based life forms like us."

Zim began to sweat a little, but he regained his composure.

"Irkens! What business do you have on our planet?" spoke the Meekrob in front of Zim.

"Our business is our own, Meekrob. What business do you have interrupting us?" retorted Zim, not showing his nervousness.

The Meekrob grew a head-shaped appendage, which it cocked to one side. "Brave words for one so small. The girl speaks right. One touch from us means death. Tread lightly, irken. We know of the irken's past plans to conquer the galaxy, and so I ask again, what business have you on our planet?"

"None that should concern you or your race. We do not intend to stay or conquer. We are here to gather supplies before going on our way."

The Meekrob drew closer to Zim until Zim could feel the energy heating up his face. "How are we to know," it said, "of such things? Do you not follow your Tallest?"

"Tallest!" spat Zim. "Ancient relics of a shameful Empire. We are not here on their orders. Worry not, Meekrob, we are here to prepare for war against the Tallest."

The Meekrob drew back. "I knew the irken race was a warlike one. So it's a civil war, then? So be it. I hope you all kill each other. It would mean peace for the rest of us."

With that, it disappeared.

"Nice guy," muttered one of the irkens behind Zim.

* * *

Within a few hours they were all aboard the new ship, each in their own way appreciating the sleek battleship. Upon inspecting the Bridge, Zim found that it was of a typical irken setup. There were a few stations to be manned; piloting, communications, and such. Zim had picked people for these. There was also a sickbay, as well as an engine room. As of yet, the sickbay was empty, but Zim decided that Zeekee and Professor Membrane would be stationed in the engine room. Between them they knew more about technology than many of the irkens present.

Dib was surprised by the ability of the irkens to snap into military mode. From the moment they boarded the ship, and knew they were on the way to battle, an instant and unspoken chain of command was set up, and the irkens became very militaristic. It was apparent that everyone present decided without words that Zim was the clear captain. Dib went along with it. He didn't care who he had to call "sir" or what orders he had to follow. He was just interested in the coming fight.

Zim felt proud as he walked into the Bridge, the doors parting automatically to let him in. He gazed around at the members of the Bridge. Tak: she had grudgingly agreed to take position at the communications station. Dib: all too eager to help, he had been assigned to the ship status station. Tenn: given the pilot seat, which was rightfully hers. Skoodge: assigned as co-pilot and navigator. Spleen: his fast reflexes and superior intellect had made him the perfect choice for the weapons system control.

Zim smiled as he saw them, each ready to do their part. His smile broadened when he thought of the hundreds of other crew members unseen, ready to, at a moments notice, jump to battle stations and fight. Each of them willing to sacrifice themselves to destroy the tallest; ready to die.

_Ready to die_, he mused, not for the first time._ Do they know what that means?_

He walked over and sat down in the captain's seat and gazed at the large theatre-sized screen in front of him. The irkens had long gotten rid of using windows on the Bridge structures; such things were prone to shattering at the most inopportune times. Instead, they had mounted cameras around the ships, and hooked them to a large screen on the bridge, so that the Bridge crew could see all around the ship.

Sitting down, he leaned back in the comfortable chair, glad to be back in a commanding position. How long had it been since he had been captain of something? Years, he decided. It had been years since Operation: Impending Doom One. He smiled. How naïve he had been back then. It almost brought tears to his eyes to be back. But he would not do such things now. No. Not when there were more pressing matters.

"Navigator!" he barked.

Skoodge stiffened. "Sir!"

Zim smiled. It had been a long time since he had heard somebody call him that. "Plot us a course straight for the Armada."

"Sir!"

Skoodge set about trying to locate the Armada.

Zim, without taking his gaze from the frontal screen, said, "Status report?"

Dib manipulated the controls of his station. He was still getting used to them, but he could manage.

"All green, sir. All systems functioning properly."

"Good. Tak, put me on loudspeaker."

"Yes, Sir."

She pressed a few buttons, then nodded to Zim. Zim spoke up, his voice resounding throughout the entire ship.

"Crew, this is your Captain. We are about to leave this rock and blast straight into a battle. I want to tell each and every one of you that I am proud to have been appointed your leader. I am proud to have the honor of leading you against the Tallest. No captain could have a better crew. Ex- Invader Skoodge and I have been speaking to each other on the subject of a certain name. Captain Lard Nar leads a faction called the 'Resisty.' Skoodge pointed out to me earlier that we have no name. After much thought to this end, I have decided that we need no fancy title, no embellished label or callsign. There are, by some twist of fate, Three-hundred off us. A perfectly round number. I feel that is what we are. Three-hundred. Three-hundred bodies, each yearning for the same end: the destruction of the Tallest. Three-hundred warriors, ready to die for a cause. So when people ask us who we are, we need not give a glamorous name. We are Three-hundred, and we shall fight with every ounce of our being. Captain out."

He nodded to Tak, who cut off the microphones.

"Navigator," said Zim, "how is that course coming along?"

"Finished, Captain."

"I'm ready to move this ship, Captain," said Tenn.

Zim nodded, and with a point of his claw, said, "Make it so, pilot."

Tenn took a deep breath and powered up the ship. Pressing a few buttons, she opened the ceiling on the hangar. With a deep rumbling, the Death Cruiser, as it was so aptly called, rose into the air. With an explosion of sound, the engines propelled the ship off the planet in seconds.

Zim allowed himself another wide grin.

_I'm coming for you, my Tallest,_ he thought. _Remember me? I hope you do._


	4. The Messenger

A/N: A relatively short chapter. I'm gonna start making them a little shorter. Or not. Whatever

* * *

CHAPTER THREE:

"The Messenger"

The funny thing about space, thought Dib absently, is that it is totally silent. In TV shows and movies, space battles are always depicted with loud explosions and bangs, but the truth is, the only noise one hears in space is when something hits their ship. There is no air in space, and therefore no medium through which sound can travel. In space, you can scream and cry, but there is no way for anyone to hear you.

The ship flew along at a goodly speed, much faster than that of any cargo ship. Zim sat in the captain's seat, feeling hum of the Cruiser under his claws. He smiled; It had been a long while since he had captained such a large and powerful ship. It was a feeling that one could never get enough of. About ten feet in front of him sat a large screen, which displayed the video feed coming from the frontal cameras. It showed nothing but blackness; they were traveling so fast, they could not see the stars. Looking down near his claw, he saw a smaller screen that he himself could control with the press of a button. It could display anything about the ship that he wanted to know: weapon status, engine temperature, even video feed from the security cameras. He tapped a few buttons on his armrest and it displayed a camera view of the engine room, and opened up a com link.

"Professor Membrane," he called.

A few moments later, Professor Membrane appeared on the small screen. "Yes?"

"What is our engine status?" asked Zim

The Professor looked down and tapped a few buttons. Looking back up at the camera, he said, "all system status is green, Captain."

In the background, Zim could see Zeekee puttering about, talking softly to himself.

"Thank you, Professor. It has been a long while since I have traveled in such a ship. I was afraid we would be pushing the engines too far," said Zim.

He closed the com link and his little screen winked out. Turning his gaze back to the front screen, he sat and watched the blackness for a few moments more. He was thoroughly enjoying this experience.

Tak was enjoying the ship as well. Beginning to accept the fact that Zim was still alive, and starting to deal with it, she eventually pushed the thoughts of Zim out of her mind, and focused at the task at hand. She looked around at her station. Much like the other stations on the Bridge, she stood in a small section of the bridge, surrounded by touchscreen displays, and monitor screens displaying information pertaining to her station. As Communications, she was shown status reports every second of all communication equipment, as well as the radars and scanners that the ship had. One would expect such a job to be boring, but Tak did not. There were constantly things to be monitored. The radar was always displaying little blips on the screen. These were usually nothing more than little asteroids. But there was always the possibility that they were enemy ships. Tak had to constantly watch the radar.

A alarm sounded at her station, snapping her head around to look at the radar. She rushed over and saw on the long-range scanner that there was an abnormally large mass some miles ahead of them.

"Captain," she called.

Zim turned to look at her. "Go ahead."

"I'm picking up a large mass on the long-ranger. We're going to fast to tell, but it looks like a small fleet of ships. I advise lowering our speed."

Zim nodded. "Drop engine speed," he ordered Tenn.

On the front screen, stars appeared as they slowed speed. Along with the stars came a small fleet of irken ships, just as Tak had predicted.

Another alarm tone sounded at Tak's station.

"Incoming transmission, Captain," she said.

Zim pointed forward. "Onscreen," he said.

Tak pushed a few buttons and the screen switched from displaying space to the inside of another irken ship bridge. The captain, a muscular irken, stood and addressed Zim.

"This is captain Poss of the 32nd Armada patrol. You are in violation of Armada airspace. Reduce your speed and prepare to be boarded. We will-"

He cut off, looking fully at Zim for the first time.

"Wait a minute, you're… What the hell?"

"Surprised, captain?" asked Zim, traces of amusement flashing across his face.

"Cut transmission!" yelled Poss to his communications officer.

The screen winked out and was replaced by the frontal camera display. Zim ordered Tenn to bring the ship to a full stop. The ship halted about thirty miles away from the small fleet. A few tense moments passed. Then, the crew watched as one of the ships of the fleet opened up a small portion of its side and a small ship flew out, and began making its way towards Zim's ship.

"Captain?" asked Spleen, unaware of what to do.

"Don't touch those weapons just yet," ordered Zim. "They're just going to board us. Let's see what they want. Tak, come with me the two of us shall greet our guest. The rest of you, stay put. Skoodge, take the captain's seat while I am gone"

Tak stiffened, and followed Zim out the door and down the hall, while Skoodge grinned and plopped himself down into Zim's chair. Zim and Tak walked briskly down the hall to the elevators which would take them to the docking bay. The two of them boarded a single elevator, and Zim pressed a button on the control panel. The doors slid shut and the elevator began to move down. Tak stole a few glances over at Zim, who was staring straight forward.

"I can feel you looking it me," said Zim, not looking over. "You want to say something. Go ahead."

Tak stood straighter, if at all possible. "There is nothing I wish to say, Captain."

Zim looked down. "I ruined your life years ago, Tak. There are a million things you want to scream at me, don't lie."

Tak said nothing.

A few moments later, the elevator slowed to a stop, and deposited them at the hallway that led to the docking bay. Already, many crewmembers had gathered around inside the hallway, eager to see the emissary from the irken fleet. Tak and Zim walked down the hallway to the airlock. At the end of the hallway, was a clear door that opened to a bare metal room. Zim watched as the far wall of the room lifted. This was the door that led outside the ship, where smaller ships could dock. As the door opened, Zim saw the small shuttle enter the room. The door closed automatically behind the shuttle. Zim pressed a button next to the airlock door. There was a hiss as the docking bay filled with oxygen, so the passengers of the shuttle could breathe once they exited their ship.

The door of the irken shuttle opened, and a single irken jumped out. Zim stood and watched as the irken walked briskly to the door of the airlock. As he drew nearer, Zim saw that he carried no weapons. Zim smiled graciously and opened the door for him. The irken did not return the smile and proudly walked through the door, trailing a gaudy cape behind him. The irken was obviously of enormous wealth; his dress was extremely flashy and expensive.

Zim left the door open and addressed him. The irken was taller then Zim by almost a full head, but Zim showed no indication that he noticed this.

"What business have you here?" Zim asked.

"I bring a message from my captain, and ultimately from the Tallest. They have heard news of your…" he trailed off, eyeing Zim with disdain. "…apparent resurrection. I come with a-"

Zim held up a hand. "Before you speak, irken, know that here, everyone, even a Tallest's messenger, is held accountable for the words of his voice. Now, what message do you bring.?"

The messenger bowed low. "Silence," he said simply.

Zim did not return the bow, but cocked his head to the side and frowned. "You flew all the way over here for Silence?"

"Do not be coy, or stupid, messenger. You can afford neither here," said Tak.

The messenger stiffened. "What makes this lowly officer think that she can interrupt us?"

Zim stepped between Tak and the messenger. "Because here on my ship, all are equal. Have you a problem with that?"

The messenger sneered. Zim could feel the anger rising in the irkens behind him.

"She makes a point, messenger," he continued. "Do not speak fancy words to hear yourself talk. Deliver your message and begone."

The messenger narrowed his eyes. "All the Great Tallest require is thus: a simple offering and agreement of Silence. The Tallest, in their great genius have deduced that you are responsible for the past events that have taken place."

"If you mean that they know I am Z, then yes, they would be correct," said Zim.

"Hmm, yes. They require this offering as a token of your submission to their will. Keep silent and they shall forgive your past sins. Of course, if you disagree, there is always the Armada to think about." The messenger smiled wickedly.

Zim rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Submission… well that's a bit of a problem. See, I just spent a night with the Resisty. They obviously do not agree with your Tallest. And if that disorganized and silly bunch have found such nerve-"

"We must be diplomatic," interrupted the messenger, sensing the rising tension.

"And of course, we have our reputation to consider," finished Zim, shrugging.

Once again the messenger narrowed his eyes. "Choose your next words carefully, Zim. They may be your last if you do not tread lightly."

Zim turned around to face the crewmembers behind him. They all looked angry, but that was expected. He turned again to face the messenger. Behind the messenger, Zim could see the open airlock door. _Silence_, he thought._ Silence?_ He turned his head to look at Tak, who was doing a strange thing with her eyes. She would look at the messenger, them look at Zim, then look at the gun at his hip, then back at the messenger. Zim smiled inwardly. _Yes,_ he thought._ That's it._ Turning his head to face the messenger he drew his laser pistol and pointed it at the messenger's forehead.

"What? Madness! This is madness!" said the messenger.

"Silence, eh? You'll find lots of that out there," said Zim, indicating the airlock.

"No one, Tallest or servant, no one threatens a messenger! It's against the gods!"

"You come in here with your disgusting self, threaten my ship with the Armada, insult members of my crew, and sneer at me! Oh, I've chosen my words carefully, thou fat pompous emissary of the Tallest. _Very _carefully. Perhaps you should have done the same!" shouted Zim.

"This is blasphemy! You're crazy! You're _defective_!" screamed the messenger.

"Defective?" Zim yelled. "I _AM __**ZIM!!**_"

With a roar Zim leaned back and kicked the messenger in the chest. The force of his kick sent the messenger flying through the door, and onto the floor. Slamming the airlock door, Zim punched a button on the wall. There was an alarm sound as the docking bay door began to open.

"NOOOO!!" yelled the messenger, trying to grab onto things as the great vacuum of space sucked the air and everything else out of the docking bay.

With a great sucking sound, all atmosphere was vented from the docking bay, along with the shuttle and the messenger. As Zim watched, the messenger continued to scream, but sounds were no longer heard, for he had entered the vast beyond of Space.

And in Space, no one can hear you scream.


	5. Light Skirmish

A/N:Wow, this was a fast update...

Yay for mild ZaTR! I suck at writing romances. I'm sure I've said this before, but you should all look at the fics written by Sasha Marie. They are bubbly with violence and love. She's one of my favs.

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR:

"Light Skirmish"

The doors of the bridge slid noiselessly open as Zim and Tak returned to their stations. Skoodge, who had been lounging in the captain's chair, stood up upon seeing them enter and returned to his original seat.

"Tak," ordered Zim, "hail them." He indicated the fleet of ships that were displayed on the frontal screen.

Tak nodded and punched several buttons on her console. The frontal screen flashed and switched to displaying the bridge of captain Pross's ship once more. Pross stood up and smiled confidently.

"So, Zim," he said, a slight sneer playing across his features, "I assume my friend told you the generous offer the Tallest have given you."

Zim nodded graciously. "Yes, he did. Right before I showed him what it's like to fly out an airlock. Really, you could have done better. I expected more from the Empire's finest. Of course, I rejected the offer."

Pross was taken aback. "You what?" he fairly shouted. Turning around, he yelled at the communications officer to cut the transmission.

The screen winked out and Zim sat down, smiling to himself. This was getting more and more fun by the moment.

"Zim? What happened?" asked Dib.

"It's a nice story, which I shall relate to you later, Dib."

An alarm tone sounded from Tak's station. She cursed and muttered to herself, wondering why only her station was the one making noise lately. Glancing over the long-range scanner, she manipulated the controls to shut off the alarm.

"Captain!" she called. "Long-ranger's picking up something. I'm getting elevated heat signatures from the ships ahead of us. They're arming their weapons."

"Let's follow their example, Spleen," ordered Zim.

Spleen manipulated his controls and powered up all the weapons. Onscreen, the small fleet began moving into an attack formation. Bright lights flashed across the sides of each of the ships as they fired a first salvo of missiles.

"Incoming projectiles!" shouted Tak, looking at her radar. "Impact in ten seconds!"

"Evasive action!" barked Zim.

Tenn pulled the controls around and the ship banked hard to the left. Zim held tight to his seat as the force of the sudden movement threatened to throw him off. Many of the missiles missed their mark, but telltale rumbling under Zim's feet indicated that a few had hit.

"Tenn! Bring us up close and personal with those ships! Our weapons are more sophisticated than theirs. We've got nice and accurate lasers, they've got explosives. They won't dare shoot at us, for fear they might hit their own."

Tenn did not even nod as she slammed the controls forward. The ship plowed forward, closing the gap in seconds.

"Bring us under!"

Tak brought the ship into a barrel roll and maneuvered it until the Cruiser was belly-to-belly with the lead ship of the opposing fleet.

"Weapons at full power," reminded Spleen.

"Fire at will," ordered Zim.

The lasers that grew out of the ship at many different angles all trained on the underside of the enemy ship and blasted it with a full force. The ship was torn apart almost instantly, and exploded. The blast caused the Cruiser to be knocked back a few miles.

Zim slammed one of the buttons on his armrest. Alarms sounded all throughout the ship and a computer voice announced, "This is a code-red situation. All crewmembers to battlestations."

As the crew of the Cruiser manned their battle stations, all the many small turrets that lined the outside of the Cruiser came alive as irkens entered them. Zim smiled with satisfaction; irken Cruisers were meant for fighting. Each Cruiser was fit with hundreds of turrets that could each be controlled either by the Weapons officer on the bridge, or by individual irken crewmembers.

"Spleen, give control of the turrets to the crew. Take full control of all main artillery and fire when you have the chance," ordered Zim.

The other ships of the enemy fleet were no moving into position for a counterattack. Once again, bright flashes emitted from their sides and missiles streamed towards the Cruiser. Deftly, Tak brought the ship around so that the empty blasted shell of the destroyed enemy ship was between them and the others. The broken vessel made the perfect shield.

"Status report!" said Zim.

"Shields at eighty per-cent," replied Dib, watching the constant feed of data.

Zim's confidence heightened. These Cruisers were certainly strong. "Make another pass," he ordered Tenn.

The ship flew out from behind its makeshift shield, every gun on its porcupine-like hull flashing. Spleen hit two buttons and the main cannons on the wings fired, destroying one vessel. Another was taken out of commission as it was bombarded by turret fire. That left one enemy vessel. Tenn turned to face the final ship just as it fired at them. Tenn yelled and pulled the controls up in an attempt to avoid the misslies. No such luck. The Cruiser was hit full force as every single missile found its mark. Tenn swore.

"Shields at thirty per-cent and dropping!" yelled Dib.

Tenn brought the ship back down until it was facing the final ship. Spleen needed no order as he slammed the controls for the main cannons, destroying the last of the enemy vessels. As the opposing ship blossomed into fire, Zim let out a sigh he had been holding in.

"Status Report!" he barked.

"Shileds at fourty per-cent and stabilizing. They will recharge soon enough." Dib noticed that he was sweating.

"Damage?" asked Zim, turning around to look directly at Dib.

"None, sir. Shields held all the way through."

Zim nodded and turned around. "Gods, I love this ship."

Everyone had a laugh at that.

* * *

Zim sat alone in the Captain's private mess. Digging in to a large meal, he reflected on the recent events. It had been a good first day. He had scared the Tallest into making a deal with him, he had destroyed a fleet, and now, he was enjoying a fine meal. But it was rather quiet. He looked around at the private suite. It was a luxury few irkens had, to have their own private suite. Zim did not care much for it. Give him the good old rowdy mess hall any day. Of course, he had not always felt that way. He sat back, recalling the old days. He had been different then, that was for sure. He had been an egotistical self-serving moron who cared little for others, and had for this reason hurt many people. Tak, in the very least.

Zim sighed. He wished that Tak could put her past behind her. He would have apologized, save for the fact that it would not help. Tak was a tough irken. Maybe that was why he liked her so much. And, he admitted to himself, he _did_ like her. He could not hide that fact from himself any longer.

"Gods, how I've changed," he muttered to himself. "I suppose I have the Tallest to thank for that now, eh?"

For he _had_ changed. From the moment he had climbed out of the wreckage of his base, half-dead and in great pain, he had changed. Not just the way he talked and held himself, but the way he felt. It was as though the fires of the explosion had burnt away all that was nasty and intrinsically bad in him. And he was glad of it.

A soft tone sounded, which Zim recognized as the doorbell.

"You may enter," he called.

To his great surprise, Tak entered. Zim stood and faced her, unsure of what to say. A few moments passed as the two looked at each other in silence. Tak looked down. Licking her lips with the long tongue that all irkens possessed, she spoke.

"Permission to speak freely," she requested.

"Of course, Tak. Nobody need ask me that. Everyone has a voice to speak, if one will listen."

"Right," she said, taking a deep breath. "Back when we were going down to meet the, uh, messenger, you said something to me on the elevator. I didn't answer you back."

Zim nodded. "Of course, I remember. You and I have not had a proper talk since I removed my costume. This is because, of course, of the slight… er… tension between us."

"Well the thing is, Zim, you were wrong. I was wrong too."

"Eh?"

"All these years, I've trained myself to hate you for one mistake you made. So, when I found out that you weren't dead, I was just bursting with hate for you. I totally forgot about all the things you had done as Z, and only focused on my loathing for you."

Zim took a step forward. "Yes, and that is to be expected. I did, after all-"

"But I was wrong to feel that way," interrupted Tak. "You saved my life. You didn't have to risk yourself to do that, but you did. Then, you proceeded to save a galaxy. This was so far from the Zim I knew. But at first I didn't realize this. For that, I apologize." And with that, she left

Zim felt he should say something, but he didn't know what. He just watched her leave. Sitting back down to his dinner, he realized that it was once again very Silent.

* * *

News of the destroyed fleet soon reached the ears of the Tallest. Before being destroyed, the last ship of the fleet had managed to send a distress signal to the Massive. The Tallest, still reeling from the news that Zim was alive, were shocked and livid at this new bit of information. Once again, Purple had locked himself in his private quarters, periodically yelling that it had been Zim all along, that it _must_ have been that bastard, prancing around in the mask, ruining everything.

Red, however, kept his head on straight. All throughout their trials, he had been the steady one, the clear thinker. It was a weight he had had to bear ever since Caper Cove. Purple was unstable, but useful. Red had immediately recalled all ships of the Armada on patrol, and ordered the entire Armada to remain by the Massive.

At the moment, Red sat, lounging on the bridge as his communications officer attempted to make long-range contact with Zim. Red felt it was time to talk things through with the little irken. He knew that Zim could be a useful and disposable ally, and had every intention to make an effort to make one out of him.

"Uh, sir? I've got a connection. We're hailing them. They're a little far off, so the picture and sound won't be perfect, but we've established a link."

Red stood up and sighed with satisfaction. At his fingertips, he had millions of trusty irkens ready to do anything he ordered. True, they were not the best of fighters, but what they lacked in skill they made up with sheer numbers and tenacity.

"Continue to hail them. I do not stop until they reply," he ordered.

* * *

Dib was enjoying himself thoroughly. The mess hall was a rowdy place, and he liked it. Never before had he had a chance to immerse himself so deeply in the culture of the irken race. It was certainly fascinating. Plus, he was learning more dirty jokes than he could remember. Beside him sat Tak, who seemed a little less reserved than before, ever since she had come back from the "bathroom." Dib was not fooled; he knew she had gone to talk to Zim. On his other side, sat Zeekee, who had amazed the irkens around them to no end. The irkens, who had lived for a long time believing that no race is superior to the irken race, were intrigued by the little Blorch rat who rattled off technological jargon like it was a second language to him. Of course, it was, as displayed by the heavy Blorch accent he carried. Dib listened in on Zeekee's conversation for a few minutes, but dropped out when they started talking about "conversions between subatomic and atomic energy measurements."

Turing to listen in on Tak's conversation with those across the table, he found that they were talking about a less heady subject.

"I tell ya, its gonna take balls to go against the Tallest," said the irken soldier across the table, "Not to fight them, no. But for Zim to talk face-ta-face with 'em. That's gonna take balls."

Dib didn't know that irkens had balls. But whatever. Deciding to enter the conversation, he asked, "Why do you say that? Excuse me for being ignorant, but I don't understand."

The soldier nodded. "Dib, eh? I heard Zim has nothing but respect for you, after all them times you ruined his plans. Anyway, what's it with the Tallest? Well, maybe you know this, maybe you don't, but our belief system's built on height. The tallest ones rule, see?"

Dib nodded. "Yeah, I get that. But so what?"

"Well, the irkens believe that the Gods decide who is tall and who is not, so if yore a Tallest, you basically a ruler backed by the Gods."

"I see, so you're saying that the Tallest are like divine, or something?"

"Yeah, and it was that way, up until Z had a little too much fun. Heh, heh"

Dib leaned away from the conversation and thought about this. Religion was a dangerous thing, if used improperly. Small wonder the irkens threw themselves on the ground at the feet of the Tallest! Dib frowned. He couldn't stand religious extremists.

As he thought about this, the televisions that lined the walls of the mess hall flicked on. Usually, they were either off, or showing irken news. But now, they showed wall-mounted views of the bridge.

* * *

Another soft tone sounded in the captain's mess. Pressing a button on the armrest of his chair, he spoke into a communicator.

"Yes? What do you want?"

"_It's Skoodge, sir. I'm on the bridge. There's a message for you. It's the Tallest._"

Zim tapped the button on his armchair again to close the comm. link and smiled. Time to meet his maker.

"So, let me guess, I bet it's Red calling me, and Purple is in a halfway-house, eh?" said Zim as he strode onto the bridge.

Red's calm but intense face was displayed on the frontal screen. He looked at Zim with a slight smile on his lips, and appeared generally happy.

"Come, Zim. Let us reason together. It would surely be a regrettable waste, nothing short of madness if you and your troops were killed over a simple misunderstanding. There is much our two groups could do together."

Zim turned to Skoodge, who had been sitting in the communications station. He was the only one on the bridge during mealtimes, having volunteered to monitor them while the others ate. Catching Skoodge's attention, he nodded at the security cameras stationed around the bridged, then at the comm. station. Skoodge nodded understandingly and punched a few buttons. Zim saw the cameras train themselves on him and begin flashing small red lights. Zim smiled. He knew that by now, the mess hall televisions were turning on, and displaying views of the bridge. Turning back to Red, he spoke.

"Well, as you no doubt know, we've been doing quite a bit together, your fleets and I."

"Your group is a fascinating one," said Red with traces of laughter in his voice. "Even now, you are defiant, in the face of annihilation. In the presence of a Tallest. Really, it isn't wise to defy me, Zim. Think of what horrible fate awaits you and your friends, when I and Purple would gladly kill our own irkens for victory."

"And I would die for any one of mine," retorted Zim somewhat angrily.

"Consider the fate of those friends you have. Would you really lead them into a useless fight?" asked Red, still calm and amiable.

"Haha, you don't understand. I barely have to lead them. They would trip over each other to get at your throat. You have many of your Elite Guard, Red."

"Yes, thousands."

"But they are little more than slaves to you. You have many slaves, Red, but few warriors. And it won't be long before they are more afraid of my sword and rifle than your lash and rule."

Red smiled dangerously. "It is not my rule that they fear, Zim. It is my divine power as Tallest."

"Ah, yes, the old belief system. I shall do away with that, you can be sure. A worthless relic of an old past, just like you."

"But I am generous," continued Red, as though he had not heard Zim. "I can make you rich beyond all measure. I can make you warlord of the Armada, carrying my flag in to the heart of the galaxy. All will kneel at your feet, if you will but kneel at mine."

Zim nodded appreciatively. "You are generous," he admitted. "And it is indeed an offer only a madman would refuse."

Zim paced. Becoming flippant, he said, "But the idea of, um, kneeling. It's, well, you see, I just don't really feel like doing that right now, you know?"

Red finally showed his anger. His face shook as he spoke louder. "There will be no glory in your little 'sacrifice,' _Zim_." He spat the last word. "I will erase even the_ memory_ of Zim and his little friends from the histories. Every irken who even dares speak the name Zim shall be tortured until DEATH!" Red was now nearly screaming. "The universe will never even know you existed at all!" he ranted.

Zim took a step forward. Speaking calmly, he said, "The universe will know that three-hundred free irkens stood against a tyrant. That few stood against many."

Zim was now very close to the screen. Though the face of Red was amplified to many times Zim's size, he yelled as though Red was nothing more than a infinitesimal insect.

"And the universe shall know that, at the end of this battle, the smallest of irkens could kill a godly_ TALLEST_!"


	6. I Brought More Warriors!

A/N: I'm getting more and more annoyed as time goes on. It's getting harder to write chapters, as all the pieces begin falling together. I'm going to start bringing back things from Z for Zim; certain events and stuff. Make sure you remember the events of even the first chapter of Z for Zim, because I will reference them.

* * *

CHAPTER FIVE:

"I brought More Warriors…"

Purple had finally emerged from his room. He had sufficiently composed himself, and was no longer reduced to a gibbering smeet. In fact, he walked out of his room a perfect picture of confidence.

"Red," he said, as he entered the bridge, "I am going to meet up with Zim and his band. I know the Massive was heavily damaged in the last battle we went through, so I'll try and hold them off while you do repairs. But, I heard there's less than a thousand of them, so I'll probably have all the fun anyway."

The ship was, presently, orbiting a large planetless sun. The Massive, guarded by almost all the ships of the Armada, was using the solar energy to speed up repairs. All over the great ship, thousands of workers crawled like little ants, patching up holes and repairing damaged equipment. Red laughed.

"Haha, take as many of the Armada as you want. I heard the Resisty might be joining soon, so take that into account. It's not like we're going to need a whole lot around here. The repairs on the Massive will be done soon. There's no way that Zim could beat the whole Armada, let alone reach the Massive before its repairs are done. Go have your fun."

Purple nodded and left the bridge. He walked the halls that he knew so well, on a ship that had become his years ago. The Massive was just that: massive. But he knew its structure well. Taking twisting turns and walking through a maze of halls that would confuse most irkens, he made his way to the hangar. He smiled; even now, he could see that each one of the Elite Guard that crewed the ship carried a map. They often got lost.

Entering the hangar, he felt the rush of excitement that he always felt upon seeing the massive room. It was a large garage, miles long. Parked all along the walls, and in spaces in the middle of the room, were the various ships and vehicles the Massive could deploy. Purple walked regally over to one that was near the door. This vehicle, which stood out in appearance from the others, belonged to Purple. He stopped in front of it, gazing up and smiling with satisfaction; this was his, and nobody else's.

It was a large machine, standing four times as tall as he. It somewhat resembled a Megadoomer in design. It was a huge mecha, bristling with weaponry and filled out to the brim with armor. Purple walked around to the back, where he saw two large engines, one which powered the legs, and the other which powered everything else. Below these were two rocket engines that could propel the vehicle through the air. Purple walked around to the side and ran his claw lovingly over the arms of the mecha, upon which rested a multitude of weapons. This was surely a weapon to be reckoned with.

"You there!" he pointed to an irken nearby, who cringed fearfully. "Ready this vehicle. I want it loaded into a small fighter, which you will have ready and waiting in the docking bay. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir!"

Purple strode off as the irken ran about, completing his orders.

* * *

Zim stood before a large table in the engine room, with Professor Membrane and Zeekee. Upon the table lay a few pieces of equipment, which Zim was showing to the two others.

"My, my! So that's where all my things went!" exclaimed Professor Membrane, picking up one of the items, which happened to be Zim's Storage Cube. "I seem to recall a day a few months ago, when many of my experimental devices were stolen. I assumed it was the work of my rivals, but I seen now it was you. Well, it seems you got more use out of them than I did, Zim."

"Yes, thank you," replied Zim. "I've been meaning to give them back. I'm afraid that I can't return your hyperdrive; I got it damaged when I was landing on Conventia."

"That old thing? You actually used it? Small wonder you didn't kill yourself."

"This is nice silly talkings, but Zeekee must know why Zim calls us," cut in Zeekee.

Zim nodded. "We have three days until we reach the Massive." He picked up one of the tools on the table. "I took this from you a while back, Professor. It is a full-body shield that had the ability to deflect projectile weapons fire, as well as lasers."

"Yes, I remember that. The world had little use for it, though."

"I would like you to reproduce these. Not in the exact same way, however. I don't want full-body shields. I want you to make shields that can be worn on the arm, and brought up to deflect blows."

"I see, kind of like the shields that policemen use on Earth in riots? Or like knights used in the olden days? Except made from energy?"

Zim nodded. "Exactly."

"I am thinking that you will want ones for every people?" asked Zeekee.

"Yes."

Zeekee sighed. "That will be much hard."

"But you can do it, right?" asked Zim.

"I feel confident that the two of us can complete the job together in perhaps two days," answered Professor Membrane.

Zim smiled. "That's great. We need to be ready soon. Our time window is narrowing."

"Why do you say that?" asked Professor Membrane, looking up from the device he was holding.

"I just finished watching the irken news. Funny thing, there's still news, even though most of the Empire is just mindless slaves now. But anyway, it reported that the Armada had taken heavy damage and losses in a recent battle against some rebelling planet or something. According to the news, the Massive has taken a lot of damage and is temporarily out of commission. I want to get there before they have a chance to finish repairs."

* * *

Purple knew that he had little time before Zim would arrive near the Massive. Taking most of the Armada with him, he flew to the nearest planet: Devastis. There, he settled his forces down, landing the great fleet on the surface of the planet and massing his troops in the largest of the training facilities. Devastis had already been treated with nanotechnology; all about wandered nano-drones, going about their daily lives with those blank expressions. It was but the work of moments to call all the entire planet's population to his positions. Using a comm. station from one of the ships, he tapped into the network that all the Nanites communicated on, and called every irken on the planet to the training facility. Within hours, mindless irkens lumbered their way in to where Purple had set up his base.

Purple took stock of what he had; a few hundred Elite Guard, and hundreds of thousands of nano-drones. These were good odds indeed. Purple smiled to himself. _Ha, poor Red, stuck in his damaged ship while I get to finish this,_ he thought. There was no way that he could lose, not with these numbers.

"Sir!"

The address snapped him out of his thoughts. "Yes?" he acknowledged the irken before him.

"Our long-range scanners have picked up the energy signatures of Zim's ship. He will be above our position shortly."

* * *

"Captain!"

Tak's call snapped Zim out of his thoughts as he sat in the captain's chair.

"Yes?"

"I'm picking up some interesting readings on the long-ranger. We are nearing the planet Devastis, and the scanners are showing an abnormal biomass concentrated in a small area on the surface of the planet."

"Elaborate, please."

"There seems to be the entire population of the planet concentrated in the same place. It looks like an army of some sort."

Zim looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded at Tenn. "Slow us down and take us into orbit around Devastis," he ordered.

Tenn nodded, and there was a noticeable change in speed as she brought the ship around.

"Tak, make a more precise scan of the planet's surface. I want to know what's down there, and how much."

"Yes, Sir"

"Dib!"

"Captain?"

"Status Report?"

"All systems green. Repairs are finished, and all components operating at maximum efficiency."

Zim nodded and looked toward the frontal display at the planet they were orbiting. It had been a long while since he had seen the great training planet. He smiled as he thought of all the times he had excelled and failed and improved during training.

"Captain!" Tak once again snapped him back to reality.

"Yes, Tak?"

"I'm getting some odd readings. The scanners say that there are about half a million irkens massed around the largest training facility here. I'm also picking up engine signatures of Armada ships. Looks like an army, sir."

Zim rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Alright, here's what we shall do: We land quietly not to far from this place, scope it out, then decide on a plan of action. If this is just a benign band of irkens, we leave. If not, well, we'll burn that bridge when we reach it."

The inhabitants of the bridge nodded, and Tenn nosed the ship into the planet's atmosphere.

Purple saw the flash of light falling from the sky. He smiled; It was certainly a great day to kill Zim.

* * *

Like many times before, they landed without any hitch. It was easy from there on out for Zim to get a good look at the enemy forces, and look he did.

"We're outnumbered over a thousand to one," he remarked to Tenn as the two of them lay on the edge of a cliff overlooking Purple's new stronghold. He grinned and said, "Fair odds for any irken, eh?"

Scrabbling back down from the hill to address the Three Hundred, Zim thought about what to do; there certainly was no way to simply attack. Though the Three Hundred may have possessed superior fighting skills, and though they would have been matched mostly by mindless nano-drones, There was still far too many enemies to worry about. They would have to take up a defensive position.

Taking command of his army, he led them to a nearby building that looked like it had been used for storage. As he was walking, a voice called out to him.

"Zim! We meet again!"

Turning around, he saw Captain Lard Narr standing atop a hill, waving energetically. Zim smiled and waved back. Lard Narr walked down the hill as a large army breasted the mound and followed him. Zim nodded appreciatively.

"Looks like you've got some force here," he called as Lard Narr approached.

"Five thousand, to be exact," replied Lard Narr. "We were able to finish our development early, thanks to a race of pure energy-based life forms. The Meekrob helped us power our factories, and we finished ahead of schedule"

His face fell as he looked at the army behind Zim. "I knew you were on the warpath, and I had intended to join you."

Zim smiled and nodded. "If it is blood you seek, then you are welcome to join us. But tell me, why the serious face?"

"You bring only this handful of soldiers? I thought you left to gather supplies and such, but you bring just this small force against Purple? I had at least hoped the irken commitment to match our own," said Lard Narr, indicating the Three Hundred."

Zim displayed the confident and cynical smile that he was often known for. "Doesn't it?" he asked. Pointing to a nearby Resisty member, who happened to be a Vortian, he asked.

"You there, Resisty. What were you born, raised, and trained to do?"

The Vortian, surprised to be asked such a thing, replied timidly, "Er, I'm a scientist, sir."

Zim nodded. "A scientist, of course. All Vortians are known for their intellect. You there!" He pointed at another Resisty alien. "What were you born, raised, and trained to do?"

The alien shrugged.

Zim nodded. "I see. IRKENS!" he roared. "WHAT WERE YOU BORN TO DO?"

There was a deafening _BUZZ!!_ as all Three Hundred, even the seven non-irkens, activated their swords, and raised them to the sky. They roared collectively, their voices echoing far beyond the hills. At the sound, the Resisty seemed to shrink back from the ferocity, all five thousand of them.

Zim turned to Lard Narr. "You see, Captain? I brought more warriors than you did."

Zim laughed while Lard Narr stood unbelieving.

"Come, Captain, let us be away. I have a plan," said Zim.

Zim led the Three Hundred and Lard Narr to the building he had been looking at. It was a large empty two-story warehouse that served little purpose on the now-desolate planet, but as they entered, a plan was already forming in Zim's mind. Firing off orders quickly, he directed soldiers to open all the ground-floor doors, and begin reinforcing the walls. As they went about doing this, Zim realized it would take a while for such defenses to be built. Knowing that Purple had seen their ship, and that the Tallest could attack at any time, he resolved to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

"Tenn!" he called.

Tenn was at his side instantly. "Sir?"

"Move that ship away from here, far from this warehouse. We will hold the army here, this will be our battleground. Get the ship away, to keep it from getting damaged. Skoodge!"

Upon hearing his name, the stout irken ran over. "Sir?"

"You are in command until I return. Ensure that all the walls are reinforced."

"Yessir."

"Where are you going?" asked Tak, who had been listening.

Zim turned to look at her. "I'm going to stall Purple as long as I can."

"Are you crazy? They'll kill you on the spot."

"If I die, it will only strengthen the resolve and anger that the Three Hundred feel. If they kill me, their battle will only be harder. Pray they're that foolish, Tak."

He turned to look at the Three Hundred going about their duties. Putting his arm around Lard Narr's shoulders, he led the Vortian Captain away. "Come, Lard Narr. Before I leave, we have things to discuss. I do believe a plan is beginning to form in my mind."

* * *

Purple noticed the small figure trudging its way towards his makeshift base. He knew who it was even before he could make out its facial features. There was no mistaking the short stature and confident gate of Zim. He called to his soldiers to stand behind him as he addressed the approaching figure. Smiling, he looked back at his horde. They may be mindless, but they sure looked impressive when there were hundreds of thousands of them behind him.

"Greetings, Zim!" he called to the distant figure.

Zim did not reply, nor did he make any indication that he had heard the call. He merely continued trudging forward. When at last he came within a few feet from Purple, he finally looked up, then left and right at the army that seemed to stretch for miles in both directions.

"Oh, hello!" he said cheerfully. "Is this it? I say, this should be rather fun!"

Purple kept his temper in check. "Zim, Zim, what am I going to do with you? You are such a genius, a true gem in the tarnished reputation of irkens. Often I have said that I could use irkens such as yourself. I had considered giving you a promotion during your term as an Invader."

This was an outright lie, at best

"And I," replied Zim with a hint of mockery in his voice, "have often said that I could show the Tallest the perfect place to shove such a promotion."

"Ah, Zim. So foolish, so naïve. Perhaps you do not believe it, but we are forgiving. If you would just take off those blinders you wear, your prejudices, you could see the truth. Nothing is inevitable; anything can change. Red and I could still find it in our hearts to pardon you."

Zim looked deep into Purple's eyes. Was this true? He could see sincerity in the Tallest's eyes, but something else flicked across the irken's countenance. Zim only saw it for an instant, but he knew it was still there, that nagging feeling in Purple's soul.

Fear.

He stepped forward confidently. "Is that the true reason, or do you just not want to fight me? Perhaps it is more than that. Perhaps you do not want to fight?"

"And why would that be, insolent one?"

"Because I will win."

Purple frowned slightly. "Your overconfidence is your weakness, little irken."

Zim raised his chin defiantly. "Your faith in your army is yours."


	7. A Symphony of Rage

CHAPTER SIX:

A/N: Well, this is a rather long chapter…

Anyways, I've begun to finally wrap up the last plot points of this fic. I think it will be over in a few more chapters. Not as long as my previous one, I know, but the story for this one wasn't very long anyway.

By the way, many of you may notice that in this chapter I reference more stuff from the first chapter of Z for Zim. Do you remember that chapter? Or couple of chapters after it? I hope so, because I will bring so much crap back from those chapters.

Oh, and just a clarification to everyone: no, I am most certainly not British. I am an American through and through, though sometimes people get confused by the way I talk and write. Hmmm… maybe I should move to Britain.

Pip pip and all that, then, eh, wot wot? Tally ho, and bally save the day and the like.

* * *

CHAPTER SIX:

"A Symphony of Rage"

The ground was shaking. As Zim stood, looking out from the upper floor windows, he could see rocks and pebbles bouncing and jumping. It was as thought the hills were dancing.

"Earthquake…" breathed Tenn, who was crouching low next to him, checking and rechecking her shield.

"No, Tenn," smiled Zim. "Not an earthquake."

He looked up and saw in the distance a rising cloud of dust.

"Battle formations," he corrected.

The door behind them was thrown open and Zeekee scampered in.

"It is finishing, Zim. The Membrane Professor gave the last irken a shielding. All three hundred has shielding now."

Zim nodded. "Good." Turning to Tenn, he asked, "Is the Resisty in position?"

Tenn nodded.

Zim looked back at the rising dust cloud, and braced himself as the ground shook ever harder. Zeekee crawled over and put his forepaws on the windowsill. Leaning out the window, he sniffed the air. Zim smiled. Though he was larger than normal earth rats, Zeekee was still no less adorable.

Dib walked in, sporting a new shield and a sword. "Nice pieces of equipment, here," he said, indicating his new toys. Both the shield and the swords were attached to his arms, the shield to his forearm, and the sword to his wrist. In this way, he could hold things in either of his hands without having to put the shield and sword down, or even turn them off. Things like guns, and the like. Dib walked over to the window they were all looking out of.

"They will be here in minutes," said Zim. "Are you ready, Dib worm? Is the Three Hundred ready for battle?"

"Are you ready?" asked Dib.

Zim did not tear his gaze from the cloud drawing nearer, nor did he answer the question. Dib gasped as the army of Purple breasted the nearest hill and one could finally see them. It was an amazing sight, incredible. It was as though the ground had simply morphed into a mass of moving bodies. As the army drew towards the warehouse, the ground was swallowed up and no longer could anyone see the earth, but only the army of nano-drones. Absently Zim wondered where the Elite Guard that Purple commanded were.

"Outnumbered millions to one," said Zim.

"Good odds for any irken, eh?" replied Tenn cheekily. But Zim could see apprehension in her eyes.

There was a deafening silence as the great army snapped to a halt just a few hundred meters from the warehouse. Zim searched the ranks for a sign of Purple, but it seemed the Tallest had taken to cowardice and was leading his army from the back. Zim sniffed disdainfully at the notion. But before he could turn to give orders, Zeekee leaned out farther and squinted, then called to Zim.

"Eh, what are that there, Zim?"

Zim followed Zeekee's gaze to the hill that the army had just climbed. His eyes widened as he saw Purple advancing through the ranks in a rather large mecha suit. Dib, seeing the two peering out at something, walked over and looked out at the army.

"Nice battle armor," he remarked.

"My Death Machine," said Zim absently.

"'Death Machine?'" said Dib. "What's that?"

Zim nodded at the machine in Purple was driving. "That. Before that day years ago when you found me in the rain, I was working on a large battlemech. A large machine that had humanoid qualities; arms and a head and the like. Except the arms were guns and the head bristled with weaponry. It was the perfect killing machine, before the Tallest fired me and confiscated it."

"An amazing, unstoppable weapon, and you called it a 'Death Machine?'" said Dib with a hint of amusement. "Not very inventive, are we?"

"Well I was having trouble with a name, and the Tallest took it before I could give it one anyway."

Dib looked back out. "Will it be any problem, having to fight that thing?"

"Only if Purple knows how to use it well. Let's hope he doesn't."

At this time, Purple had come close enough to the warehouse to be able to yell at Zim. Not too close, though. He was still protected by a few ranks of soldiers.

"Heya, Zim!" he called. "Like my army? There's more where this came from! You sure you want to fight?"

Zim backed away from the window, ran out of the room, and flew down the stairs. He looked about him, seeing the Three Hundred already fitted with new weapons, each one of them eager to try them out.

"I trust that sight out there hasn't ruined your appetite?" he yelled. "Irkens! Let us do what we were born to do!"

The irkens raised their weapons to the sky and roared loudly, not for the first time that day. Zim smiled with satisfaction; they weren't scared, just excited. He knew that in good time they would all be worked into a rage, such as becomes an irken when they are immersed in an all-out brawl. Zim looked around and saw that all the housekeeping work had been done; all the windows were barred, and the walls reinforced with scrap metal and armor. Everything was ready.

"Send irkens to every window with rifles, and have them ready to fire on my command," he ordered one of the irkens next to him.

Zim, ran out one of the front doors and was met once more with the sight of the massive army. Purple was still standing, waiting for an answer. Zim smiled again, and with a flourish drew his pistol and rapidly shot two soldiers in the front ranks twixt the eyes. They crumpled to the ground noiselessly.

With another flourish, Zim spun his pistol and holstered it. "Just making sure your soldiers can die as well as any other. Wouldn't be very fair if they couldn't, now would it?"

He smiled cheekily at Purple, who was a few ranks back. "But, now that I know you haven't stacked the figurative deck, we can place our bets and play a few hands, eh?"

Purple's eyes narrowed. With the push of a few buttons, several of the guns on his 'mech trained themselves on Zim and fired. Zim dove to the side as plasma and lasers melted the earth that he had been standing on seconds before. Without thinking and giving himself over to instinct, he activated his shield and knelt behind it. The shield deflected the hail of fire, and the force of the barrage drove him backwards. Smoke enveloped Zim and the air around him, and the irken was hid from view. After a few seconds, Purple let up the fire and waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, Purple beheld Zim standing, untouched by the fire, and smiling that same cheeky smile.

"My turn," he said. "IRKENS! FIRE!"

Zim turned and ran back inside as the irkens of the Three Hundred leaned out the windows and fired upon the army. Not stopping, Zim quickly grabbed a large piece of weaponry and ran up the stairs to the same room he had been standing in minutes before. He ordered the irkens in there away from the windows as he hefted onto his shoulder the gun, which was about has big as he was. Sighting along a scope that was attached to the side, he put Purple's 'mech in the center of the crosshairs, braced himself, and squeezed the trigger. The gun's barrel exploded noisily and lobbed a large bolt of energy at the 'mech. Zim cursed as he saw shields flare around the 'mech.

"Why did I have to give it a shield? Curses- OH! GET DOWN!" he yelled.

Every one threw themselves on the ground as a small missile flew through the window and exploded overhead. Purple was finally firing back. Dib looked up at Zim and brushed bits of dust off his face.

"I'm pretty sure we can handle that army in this defensive position. They're only nano-drones, and we have the strategic upper hand, but what are you going to do about that machine? And what about the Elite Guard? I mean, I know the Three Hundred are better warriors than all of them, but numbers can carry an army pretty far."

"You leave the thinking to Zim, smelly human. Just grab a gun and lean out the window. Maybe if you get shot, then I won't have to hear you complaining," retorted Zim with hint of a smile.

Dib shook his head. "Jeez, Zim. I dunno how you can joke at a time like this."

"Try it sometime, little worm, it helps!" yelled Zim as another missile streamed through the window and showered them with bits of powdered wall.

Zim jumped up and grabbed his gun. Aiming down the sight, he fired off two more rounds before throwing himself flat and swearing as machine gun fire and lasers poured through the window. When the fire subsided, Dib chanced a look out the window. What he saw filled him with hope. The massive army had not yet reached the doors. Though by now the army had no doubt entirely surrounded the warehouse, the Three Hundred were firing off enough bullets to keep them mostly at bay. Dib saw that with each rank that advanced, the army drew nearer and nearer to the entrances.

"Zim!" he called as he fired off a few shots out the window. "They're getting closer!"

Zim laughed. "Don't worry, they only way in here is the doors, and only two can enter the door at a time. They'll throw themselves against the doors, and be slaughtered at these choke points, where numbers count for nothing."

Dib nodded dimly, firing shot after shot out the window and crouching back down when soldiers outside returned fire. The battle was getting louder and louder. A large burly irken pushed him to the side, telling Dib to let him handle the window. The irken raised a giant gun, which was apparently some sort of irken heavy assault weapon because it fired off laser bolts rapidly, many bolts per second. Dib shrugged; he knew he couldn't handle any of the large machine guns. They were too heavy. He left the room and slid down the stair banister, the noise and smell of weapons fire sending adrenaline through his body. There was something carnal about battle, that just made you excited, he concluded. He was beginning to see why Gaz enjoyed her bloody war games so much; they had all the excitement of battle packed into a little screen that you could control at the push of a button.

Without the side effect of death, of course.

* * *

Zeekee holed himself up in one of the upper floor rooms. He felt confident that the irkens could hold the fort well. He decided to ride out the battle in hiding. Not that he was a coward, no, but he did not feel like killing. He could bravely stare death in the face, but still found it hard to hold a weapon. Nonetheless, he took a sword with him, laying it down on the floor next to where he was sitting. Just in case.

* * *

Gaz stood towards the middle of the bottom floor. She had long since memorized the floorplan of the warehouse; it was something that was little more than habit to her, having finished millions of games that put her in situations like these. There was the bottom floor: nothing more than a large cement-floored storage space; as long and wide as the warehouse itself. The bottom floor had many exits on each wall, and in the center was a spiral staircase that led to the top floor, which was divided into rooms, the outside of which had many windows.

Gaz stood near the spiral staircase, looking around at all the irkens who were there, each one eager to get a piece of the battle, but cautious enough to wait for the enemy to come to them. She tested the weight of the sword and shield she held, making sure the sword was properly balanced, and the shield secure on her arm. Then she checked the two guns at her hips, making sure they were loaded, and that she had extra batteries. She smiled with satisfaction; this was pretty much the arsenal she was used to having when playing Space Monkeys 7. A sword, a shield, and a gun. All she needed was a monkey. She laughed aloud at her own silent joke, and squatted down, waiting quietly for the enemy to come to her.

Not far away, she glimpsed GIR and MIMI playing with guns. She walked over and took the guns away from the crazed SIR units, not wanting them to accidentally kill everything.

"Hey, you two," she said. "There's a whole army of guys outside that want to play with you. Why don't you skip out those doors and have a nice little game with them?"

MIMI's eyes smiled up at Gaz, and GIR laughed insanely. The both of them skipped out the doors, and Gaz could hear the happy screams of delight from the two as they played their games. Gaz smiled inwardly as she visualized what the two would be doing. It probably had to do with fire.

"Hey, look! They've finally decided to come!" called an irken who was peering out one of the doorways.

Gaz snapped her gaze around just in time to see a nano-drone break through the doorway and lose his head as one of the Three Hundred made full use of a laser sword. She frowned the same frown she often displayed when she was slicing open vampire piggies. It was a frown of determination.

She heard a swishing sound and looked up to see Dib sliding down the staircase. He slid to a stop right in front of her and grinned. She opened her mouth do show him shiny teeth and growled menacingly, causing him to back off.

There was more yelling as nano-drones flooded through the doorway. Gaz soon realized the genius of Zim's plan. The nano-drones would flood as fast as they could, but ultimately each door would act like a choke point, and no matter how many of them there were, there was no way any of the nano-drones could inflict damage. If they tried to shoot through the doorway, they would hit one of their own, and if they entered the doorway, they were instantly relieved of their limbs and lives. Dib immediately jumped into the fray, slashing and whirling. Zim had shown him a few methods of properly handling a sword, and he had enough reflex training from back when he had battled Zim. He was thusly an average warrior, not as good as a true irken perhaps, but certainly better than even the strongest nano-drone. Gaz frowned and hung back, knowing that she would eventually have her turn. She was patient.

She could wait.

* * *

Purple cursed loudly as he drove the 'mech to its limit. How could he have been so stupid? Trust Zim to take the coward's way out: set up an impenetrable defense, and just sit there. He flinched as another large salvo impacted on his shield, jarring him in the cockpit. The shields were damn near impenetrable, but it was still an annoyance. He looked up where the large bolt had come from, and saw a burly irken standing in a second-floor window, hefting a large anti-vehicular weapon. Quickly, Purple slammed the controls up and rained bullets at the window. The irken put up it's shield quickly, but not quickly enough. He smiled with satisfaction as he saw the irken fall out of the window, his spooch hanging from the large hole in his stomach, drenching the nano-drones below with blood.

_They can still die like anybody else,_ he thought. _What makes them so special?_

Shouting, he egged the nano-drones forward, still confident. He knew that he had a reserve division of Elite Guard awaiting orders. Let the Three Hundred swell with confidence at their small victories over the nano-drones. They would soon shrivel in fear, once Purple laid the full force on them.

If only he could find a way through the Gods-damned doors.

Purple glanced at his ammunition indicator. He was running low on missiles, but still had enough of everything else to stock a whole army. He'd find a way through this, by the Gods he would.

Firing a couple missiles at a bare patch of wall, he was filled with a burst of satisfaction as he saw part of the wall crumble, and give way to the inside of the warehouse. Finally, the reinforcements on the walls were coming undone.

* * *

Under other circumstances, decided Dib, the whole battle thing would have been fun. Besides, of course, the fact that he could die. Not exactly elated, but not really fearful, he drove relentlessly onward, as nano-drone after nano-drone poured through the entrances. They were truly flooding now. Dib flinched as a missile slammed into the wall adjacent to him, causing a large hole to form. Through the hole, Dib glimpsed Purple frantically manipulating the controls of his 'mech. Moments later, his view was obstructed by a nano-drone climbing through the hole. More on reflex than anything, Dib stabbed forward with his sword, slaying the nano-drone, and then bashed the lifeless body with his shield, causing it to fly backwards and knock several others down. But even as he did this, two more nano-drones filled the hole.

"Need help over here!" he yelled to a resting group of irkens. They sprang to aid him.

Dib hung back, breathing heavily. He needed a rest, this was certainly a different sort of athletic activity than he was used to partaking in.

Another explosion rocked the building. This one came in the same place as the one before, causing the hole behind him to widen. Debris flew past him, and a large rock hit him in his back, causing him to fall forward. He rolled over just in time to see a nano-drone standing above him, its gun at his face. Zim's training came back to him.

_The shield is also a weapon, Dib stink_, Zim had told him. _It is more than a defense, it is also an offense._

Dib knocked the gun away with his shield, then slammed it forward into the nano-drones face. With a deft movement, we slew the nano-drone with a thrust of his sword. Getting up, he saw Gaz standing nearby watching him. He smiled and shrugged as though it was nothing, everything she had seen him do. He watched, bewildered as her frowning and slightly concerned look turned to one of fear. He heard her gasp She was looking over his shoulder. He turned just in time to see another nano-drone rushing him with a sword. He raised his shield, but it was not fast enough. The nano-drone was too close. Dib closed his eyes and there was an explosion of blood.

* * *

Gaz felt the second explosion that shook the warehouse. Turning around, she could see Dib over at the other end of the room, battling nano-drones that were pouring through the ever-growing hole in the wall. And fear rushed through her as she saw him knocked to the ground. Pushing her way through the mass of irkens, she raced towards him, just in time to see him knock the nano-drone's gun away and kill it. Her fear subsided, and she watched as Dib rose and gave her that annoying cheeky smile that filled her with a terrible rage every so often. But she was not filled with this rage, instead, once more with fear as she looked over his shoulder and saw another nano-drone rushing him. She gasped. He turned around and raised his shield, but not fast enough.

It was as though everything was in slow motion, she could see, ever so clearly the nano-drone closing the gap between it and her brother. Her _brother_. With little thought, she drew one of the guns at her hip. God, why was everything going so slow? Her arms felt as thought they were made of lead as she aimed along the sight.

It was like one of those games she played so much. It was so simple, all so simple. You pulled the trigger, and they died. But why was everything so slow? And why was she afraid? She had never been afraid.

_It's going to kill my brother!_

She squeezed the trigger, and the nano-drone's forehead exploded, spraying Dib with blood. The nano-drone fell forward with a slight gurgle on top of Dib. Shaking, Dib threw the body off of himself and stood. Behind him, several irkens had begun to cover the hole in the wall. Everything was safe for him again.

But Gaz felt funny. She looked at the dead body. It was simple, so simple. You pulled the trigger, and they died. That's how it worked. Bang, you're dead, sucker. Bang, bang, you too. Gaz's head swirled. She had never before done something so real. She dropped the gun to the floor absently and fell to her knees. She was dimly aware of Dib rushing over to support her. It was always so easy, just to press the button on her Gameslave. This should not have been any different. In the grand scheme of things, this should not have been any different.

But it was different.

It was no game.

"It's not as easy killing the real ones," she whispered to Dib.

Dib hugged her.

"It never should be," he whispered back.

* * *

Zim braced himself against the wall as the building shook for the second time. He was unaware of the drama unfolding downstairs, save for the fact that he knew the walls could not hold up much longer. He was quickly formulating a plan, but he had to have to do some things first.

"Come with me," he ordered the irkens in the room with him. "And gather everyone up here. I want everyone downstairs now."

Zim was descending the stairs when GIR and MIMI bounded up to him, drenched in irken blood.

"We finished playing with the blanky irkens, masta!" cried GIR. "They play FUN games!"

Zim smiled.

"Come, GIR, MIMI, it's time to start a new game."

* * *

Dib helped his sister up. Picking up the weapon she had dropped, he slipped it back into the holster at her hip. Gaz shook him off and strode determinedly towards one of the doors. With a buzzing sound, she activated her sword and shield, then threw herself into the fray that was forming around the hole in the wall. Whirling and slashing, she carved a deadly pattern into the bodies of the nano-drones pouring through the ever-widening hole.

Much as he worried for his sister, Dib found himself smiling in admiration. She may not be used to the idea of killing for real, but that did not make her any less skilled in the ways of battle. He wondered if it was truly possible that Gaz had learned to shoot and fight from games, or if she was just born that way.

_It's probably just a mixture of both,_ he thought as he probed a nano-drone with his sword.

"IRKENS! Hear me!" yelled Zim. "It is time for a big push. On my mark, train your weapons to the wall with the hole in it!"

Each irken bristled with excitement. Continuing to battle the flood of nano-drones, each one of them waited for the command.

"NOW!" roared Zim as he saw the last irken from upstairs descend the staircase.

Simultaneously, each irken present, as well as those not irken, picked up an energy weapon and blasted the wall. Already weakened in many places, the wall crumbled and nano-drones poured in. But at the same time, the Three Hundred poured out, overwhelming the unskilled flood. In seconds, the Three Hundred was out, and Zim found himself next to Tak, battling a seemingly never-ending tide of nano-drones. Beside him, the female irken was laughing, overwhelmed with the pure joy of the slaughter. Zim realized that he too was laughing. Each one of the Three Hundred cut a path through the endless flood.

"RESISTY! NOW IS THE TIME!!" screamed Zim.

Over to the side, captain Lard Nar led the Resisty over the hill where they had lain hidden from view. Zim had counted on them to come as a surprise, and as a surprise they came. The nano-drones, now attacked from two sides, were not outnumbered, but certainly outskilled.

"Come, Resisty!" called Lard Nar. "Let us show the Three Hundred what we can do!"

Shouting and cursing, the Resisty flew down the hillside, into the fray. Flailing about wildly, each more bar-room brawler than warrior, they took up arms and fought with more luck than skill.

Zim smiled. _They make a wondrous mess of things_, he thought. _Brave amateurs they are. But nonetheless, they do their part._

Zim found himself standing next to Dib, who was catching his breath. Raising his scent receptors to the sky, he took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. He could feel the rising anger of the Three Hundred. He knew each of them were feeling the same thing. The Tallest had imprisoned them. They-the greatest warriors in all the irken Empire. Zim could feel the resentment like a heat, rolling off the backs of his warriors, each of them silently wishing to be the one to end up with Purple's neck in their claws.

Collectively, like a single organism, the Three Hundred decimated the nano-drone army. They roared, the anger of the irkens becoming greater and greater as the battle wore on, and more enemies were slain. Zim smiled and turned to Dib.

"All that anger, do you feel it? Hear it?" he asked.

Dib nodded absently, looking out at the battle, and breathing heavily. Zim turned to follow his gaze.

"All that resentment, and hate, all that yelling. It's music to my audio receptors. I love it, the sound of battle. What irken does not? It is like my army is some sort of group of musicians, each playing their instrument of anger."

Dib turned to him. "Like a symphony?"

Zim laughed and laughed. "Yes," he replied. "How appropriate, a symphony."


	8. To Kill a Tallest

A/N: This chapter is kinda short... but then, this was a kinda fast update.

CHAPTER SEVEN:

"To Kill a Tallest"

Purple swore loudly as he saw the Resisty racing towards his army. His forces were rapidly diminishing, and this new wave of reinforcements was more than an annoyance. True, the Resisty was not much of a skilled force, but numbers were numbers. And the Three Hundred continued to advance. Purple decided that it was time for a different mode of attack. Yelling orders, he pulled his massive army back in a quick retreat. Looking back, he saw a mass of dead bodies and the Three Hundred raising a cheer, accompanied by a half-hearted yet no less victorious Resisty.

As they retreated, he once more took stock of his situation. He had lost thousands of nano-drones, but that was fine. He could afford to lose thousands more. Pulling his forces back down the hills and towards his makeshift headquarters, he sent out orders to the Elite Guard and a few scouts.

* * *

Their cheer was long and loud. Knowing they had the enemy on the run boosted the confidence of the Three Hundred, and they laughed and jeered at the retreating army. Zim stood next Dib, not taking part in the happiness as he looked across at Lard Nar. The Captain of the Resisty stood amid bodies of his own army. The Resisty, just in a few minutes had lost quite a few. Zim walked over and spoke with him.

"What troubles you, Captain?" he asked.

"That army… it was so big!" The Captain could not take his eyes off the dead bodies.

Zim put his arm around Lard Nar's shoulders. "Don't worry about those that have died. Put them behind you; you can grieve later."

Lard Nar shook h is head. "It is not the soldiers I have lost, it is the soldiers I _will_ lose. That army may be less skilled than most, but with the addition of the Elite Guard that has been rumored to be here, they will be unstoppable."

Zim looked taken aback. "The Elite Guard? You actually fear those pampered cowards?"

Lard Nar looked up. "That army cannot be stopped, Zim. It was foolish to have started a war we cannot finish. We should have simply escaped, and built a new life in another galaxy."

"And have them conquer us again? I would not have it! The Three Hundred would not have it!"

Lard Nar shook his head again. "This battle is over, Zim. We cannot win."

Zim pointed a claw at Lard Nar. "This battle is over when I say it is over, Captain."

"In just a few hours, the Elite Guard and the nano-drones will surround us, and we will not win." Lard Nar was practically pleading. "We will die, Zim."

Zim turned to face the Resisty, all of whom appeared just as fearful as Lard Nar. He looked behind himself and viewed the Three Hundred, all of whom looked anxious to fight. All of them determined. Zim knew what must be done.

"We shall not wait," he said in a low voice to no one in particular. "We shall ride out and meet them." He turned to the Three Hundred. "IRKENS!" he bellowed. "PREPARE FOR GLORY!"

Lard Nar grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "Glory!? Are you crazy? There's no glory to be had now. Only retreat, or surrender... or death!"

Zim knocked Lard Nar's arm away angrily. "Well that's an easy choice for _us_, Vortian. Irkens never retreat! Irkens never surrender!"

"Purple retreated pretty quickly, maybe you should take his example."

"You DARE compare us with that soul-less coward? Purple is no true irken. Go, now, Captain. Spread the word of this around your Resisty. Let every being present know the truth of our opinions. Let each among them search their soul. And while you're at it, search your own."

Lard Nar turned and signaled the Resisty to march. They marched up and over the hills towards the way they had come from. Zim knew they would all leave. The Resisty was a mass of cowardice; they would not fight.

"Goodbye, Zim," said Lard Nar. He turned and followed his army out.

"You, there, Resisty," called Zim. "May you live forever."

"Damn you, Zim. Damn you," muttered Lard Nar as he marched away.

The Three Hundred watched as the army breasted the hill, and marched out of sight. Each one of them knew it was now up to them to finish what had been started. Thousands left; none looked back.

* * *

Zeekee crept out of his hiding place, sword clutched tightly in his hands. He knew that it was inevitable; he would eventually have to take up arms. What better time then now to do so? Had he not struck down 343 Guilty Spork? He thought back to that time, and how a rush of excitement had flown through him when he picked up the pipe and defended his friends. He resolved to do the same now.

* * *

The Three Hundred reached the top of the hill overlooking the makeshift base that Purple had constructed. They stood, looking out across a desolate plain, in the middle of which housed a massive army. Zim took a deep breath, knowing the coming battle would be the end of many lives, and wondered if it was truly worth it. He turned to the Three Hundred, and addressed them one last time.

"This is where we shall meet them," he called. "This is where we shall fight. This is where they will DIE!"

The Three Hundred cheered loudly. Tak nudged Zim and whispered, "I don't suppose you have a plan?"

"Don't I always?" he replied with a smile.

* * *

Purple was quite surprised to find the Three Hundred marching towards him. They were in a peculiar formation. Zim marched alone in front, with no protection save his own shield. Behind him came the Three Hundred, who crouched low behind their shields. The middle ranks of the Three Hundred had raised their shields to the sky, so that there was not a single inch of the small army that was not protected by shielding. Through the cracks between shields were stuck swords, to fend off enemies. It looked like an absurd rendition of an Earth turtle. But what truly caught Purple's attention was how tired and weakened they looked.

Purple smiled; just minutes past, his spies had returned with news that the Resisty had fled, tails between their legs. Confidence swelled in the Tallest. He knew he could not lose now. Shouting orders from his 'mech, he formed his army up. As the Three Hundred drew nearer, he quickly surrounded them with his army. There was no way out now. Purple knew that simply the sight of his army surrounding them might sway the Three Hundred to surrender.

Zim marched up, looking quickly left and right. He had seen the army slip around and surround them. He knew there was no going back now. The perfect picture of a defeated irken, he halted a few meters from the front rank of Elite Guard. A few ranks back, Purple smirked arrogantly as he sat atop his 'mech. One of the Elite Guard Captains detached himself from the rest of the army and stood a few feet away from Zim, addressing him in a confident military manner.

"Zim, as you may no doubt see, there is no way now for you to escape, and no fortified walls behind which you can hide. Here, there is only defeat. But the Tallest are forgiving. Even after all your blasphemies, like saying that one can kill a godly Tallest, or saying the Tallest are corrupt, they are willing to pardon you. They will make you and your fellow irkens powerful. Many will kneel at your feet, if you will but kneel at theirs. Many will surrender to your might, if you will but surrender now your weapons. Choose your next actions carefully, Zim. You do not have the Resisty now to back you up."

Zim looked at Purple, who sat atop his 'mech silently. Looking behind him, he saw the bodies of the Three Hundred, each tense and waiting for his decision. Zim addressed himself and his equipment.

His shield was heavy; he took it off and dropped it.

Purple leaned forward eagerly, almost disbelievingly.

Zim's belt was tight and uncomfortable. He unbuckled it, letting the two guns it holstered fall to the ground. He stood and looked up expectantly at Purple.

"Your sword, Zim," reminded the Elite Guard in front of him. "Remove your sword."

Zim looked down at his sword. It was of a good make; light, balanced, and strong enough to cut through battle armor.

His sword…

He dropped it also. Then, with the slowness that displayed his reluctance but overwhelming finality, he fell to his knees, and bowed his head to the ground.

Purple stood up in the cockpit of his 'mech. Inwardly he cheered, while his outward appearance was a regal one. He laughed aloud.

Zim knelt, his face close to the burning hot sand of Devastis. Behind him, he could hear the deep breaths of the Three Hundred.

Zim knew what had to be done.

"Lay down your weapons!" called Purple from his 'mech.

The Three Hundred did not move. Purple frowned.

"Lay down your weapons, now!" he yelled again.

Zim raised his head and looked directly into Purple's eyes. For a moment they both were enveloped in each other's gaze. Then Zim broke the spell.

"Come and get them!" he bellowed.

This was apparently the signal, as the Three Hundred broke formation and spread outwards, slicing and chopping with their blades at the enemy. They took the enemy by complete surprise. Tak ran forward, and jumped onto Zim's prone form. Using Zim's back as a boost, she jumped once more and came down on the Elite Guard Captain, slicing open his stomach and spraying blood everywhere. Out of the corner of his eye, Zim could see Professor Membrane helping Zeekee up. The two of them demolished a patrol between them. Zim could see everyone fighting their fiercest. And in the pandemonium that ensued, Zim stood.

His shield was heavy; it had overbalanced him and he needed the utmost accuracy, for his enemy was far away.

His belt was tight; it distracted him, and he needed to clear his mind.

His sword…

He picked up his laser sword and hefted it like a spear. He drew his arm back, his highly trained irken muscles contracting tightly as he held it there, sighting along its edge at his intended target: his Death Machine. Everything seemed to slow down as he once more locked gazes with Purple. Thoughts flashed through his head a speeds faster than light. He thought back to that day, the day over two years ago when he had ended his life. Now, much like then, he was gripped with a great feeling. Surrounded by thousands of enemies, any sane being would have been afraid. But it was not fear that swelled up within him. No. Not fear, not anymore. He had not felt true fear since the day of the explosion. No. Now, it was only a heightened sense of things. The hot, dusty ground beneath his feet. The weight of the sword in his claws. The yells of the Three Hundred behind him, doing what they had been trained to do. What they had been born to do. He thought of them; each one wanting a small piece of glory, fighting for righteousness. Each one ready to die for freedom without a moment's pause.

Zim smiled. _Ready to die,_ he mused. _How could I question that? Of course they know what that means._

He threw the sword.

Purple saw the sword coming, and instinctively ducked. But the true target of the throw was not Purple himself. No, the sword would never be able to penetrate the shield and slay the Tallest. Instead, the sword was hurtling towards the one place on the 'mech where there was no shield.

The shield generator itself.

There was a slight slicing sound that was not heard over the din of battle. It was a small sound, so very soft, but it heralded a much deadlier purpose. Purple's spooch raced as he saw his shield flicker and die. The sword dropped to the ground, just as the faint glow of shielding fell from the 'mech. Now, Purple felt the fear he should have felt from day one. It raced through his body like a cold fire, and drove him to near madness. Grabbing the controls, he let out a thin and high pitched scream as he madly pressed buttons and manipulated levers, aiming every weapon he had at Zim.

Zim snatched up his shield, held it out in front of him, and made a mad dash at the 'mech. It was more luck than skill that he was not hit by a stray bullet, but then, Zim was a very lucky person. Quickly closing the gap between them, he too let out a roar, a battlecry if you will. Screaming loudly, the two enemies drew closer and closer, until Zim was just feet away.

Lunging, he shot between the two legs of the 'mech, grabbed his sword, and rolled to his feet. Purple pulled the 'mech around quickly, but it was too slow. Zim jumped up, his muscular yet thin legs carrying him higher than any human could ever jump. With a quick deft movement, he brought the sword down on the left arm of the mech. He was rewarded with a satisfying slicing feeling as the sword severed the guns from the 'mech. The arm fell to the ground with a clanking sound. Not stopping in his trajectory, Zim flipped over in midair and landed on the top of the 'mech. Reaching down, he severed the other arm quickly. Then, stabbing his sword down, he jumped off, trailing the sword behind him in the 'mech, cutting a gash down its back. Not stopping once he hit the ground, he severed one leg and kicked the other. The 'mech crashed to the ground on its back, its pilot still ranting and raving. Slowly, ever so slowly now, Zim stepped onto the chest of the 'mech. Looking down at the frantic Tallest, he cut a hole in the cockpit window, and roughly pulled the Tallest out, throwing him to the ground.

"Get away! Die! Why won't you die!" Purple pulled out a gun and emptied the battery at Zim.

Laser bolts rolled off his shield as Zim raised his arm to deflect the fire. "I am going to tell you the same thing I told your Creed," said Zim. "That I have put forward an idea, and planted it in the minds of others. I brought the hope of freedom to this once-great Empire. I brought an _idea_, my Tallest. And ideas are bulletproof."

"Bullshit!" raved Purple.

"I swore to show the universe that a Tallest could be killed, but now that I think about it, it was a useless vow. You have already proved that by killing your predecessors."

"We did what we had to do, Zim. Miyuki and Spork, hah!" Purple spat the names out hatefully. "Nothing but peace-pushing conservatives. Red and I have made this Empire truly great!"

Zim shook his head sadly as he advanced, raising the sword. "You have woven so deep and intricate a web of lies, you yourself have come to believe them."

"We did what we had to do!" yelled Purple again.

"You have forsaken the truth."

"FUCK THE TRUTH!!" screamed the Tallest as he raised his arms to protect himself.

But arms could not protect him from Zim's final blow. A laser sword cuts through arms just as well as it does battle armor. Zim brought the sword down, with all the hate, fury, and vengeance he had suppressed for years. Stabbing and stabbing, he opened gash upon gash in the Tallest's body, proceeding to cut him even after he was dead. Smeared with oily irken blood, he stood over the body and breathed a sigh.

He had killed Tallest Purple.

He looked up and saw that the death of their leader had disheartened the Elite Guard and confused the nano-drones. Bit by bit, the army turned and fled, spurred on by the Three Hundred. Even as the army ran, Zim's soldiers chased them down, mowing them down with guns and swords. Zim glimpsed Tak beheading a nano-drone. She turned to look at him. She was so very far away, but Zim thought he saw her smile. He smiled too.


	9. Cenetlon Clouision Cauaron Caleton

A/N: I guess nobody caught that last homage in the previous chapter. That whole argument that Zim and the Tallest had ending with Purple yelling, "fuck the truth" is a reference to the movie 16 Blocks, starring Bruce Willis.

I will be referencing another movie starring Bruce Willis towards the end of this fic. Kudos to the person who can guess it correctly.

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT:

"Cenetlon Clouision Cauaron Caleton"

The triumphant cries of the Three Hundred drowned out the fearful screams of the Elite Guard as they were beaten back by the small army. Disheartened and weakened, the armies of Purple retreated quickly, but the angered Three Hundred did not let them simply leave. Chasing after them, they drove them onward with stabs from their swords and bullets from their guns. Zim glimpsed Tak whirling and slashing her sword. To his eyes, there was no more beautiful sight than that. Perhaps it was the excitement of battle, but he felt a heat wash over his face as he watched Tak disembowel irken after irken. He shook his head to clear it. When the last of the Elite Guard had disappeared from view, such a war cry was raised that it shook the earth. Or at least that was how it felt. Jumping and whooping, the Three Hundred gathered around the body of Purple, lifted it up, and began tossing it around like a rag doll, laughing all the way.

Zim quieted the Three Hundred down with a yell and gathered them around him. The body of Purple was forgotten momentarily as they gathered round and listened.

"Friends! This battle is over!" Zim yelled. "But our combat is not finished yet. We have but one last fight to fight." Zim looked down and sighed. "And I know that this next battle will be a more dangerous one than this one could ever have been. Many of us may die."

Tak walked over and placed her arm on his shoulder. "Why do you tell us this? You know that we would do anything for you. You had the courage to be the first to stand against the Tallest. You gave us hope. Nothing can take that away."

There were cheers among the Three Hundred. "We'll follow you to the end of the gods-damned universe if we have to!" yelled a voice from the back. "Farther, if need be!" Many cheers greeted this outburst.

As the Three Hundred raised a great cry, Tak leaned in close to Zim. He felt the not-so-unpleasant tickle of her warm breath on his audio receptors as she whispered, "I'll do anything for you, Zim. It's to you I owe my life, and I'll never forget that."

Zim did not have an answer to such a strong display of loyalty. He smiled as he watched her turn away and join the others in celebration. Zeekee sidled up to Zim and nudged his leg with his nose.

"The Zim likes the Tak, does not he?" said the rat.

"Shut your mouth, rat," answered Zim with a smile, "or I'll clamp it shut for you."

Zeekee scampered off, hissing over his shoulder, "I knew the Zim did."

When the yells stopped, an irken walked over to Purple's body and prodded it with a boot. "So what are we gonna do about this piece of shit?" he asked.

Zim rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I have an idea…"

* * *

"Sir! You've got a package!" An Elite Guard hurried forward to Red as he lounged on the Captain's seat on the bridge of the Massive.

Red waved his hands dismissively. "Bring it up, then."

Several more soldiers threw the doors open and dragged in a large box. Grunting and heaving, the lugged the monstrosity in, barely fitting it through the double doors. Red stood up and frowned at the huge piece of mail.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Dunno, sir," one of the soldiers said. "It's postmarked from Purple. First-class, straight from Devastis."

Red mused at what could be in such a package. He fervently hoped that Zim's bloodied and severed head was in among the things. Purple had a flair for doing things like that. Mounting a ladder the soldiers had erected for him, he eagerly sliced a claw along the adhesive strips that secured the top of the box closed. Like a child at Christmas, or whatever irken equivalent of the holiday, he tore the lid open and peered inside. Instantly, he was pounced on by an angry SIR unit.

"What the fuc-" he was cut of as the maddened robot latched on to his face and began pulling on his antennae, laughing insanely.

At that moment, the box was destroyed as many SIR units clawed their way out and set themselves upon the other irkens. Screams of pain echoed throughout the bridge as antennae were ripped off, and eyes were gouged out. Out of the corner of his eye, Red could see several SIR units dashing madly about, destroying all the equipment they could get their hands on. With a great effort, Red tore the SIR unit of his face, threw it to the ground, and shot several times in the face with a pistol he whipped out from his hip. Others around him began to do the same. Reaching up, he tenderly felt his throbbing antennae. They were both still there. But others were not so lucky. A few irkens around him were missing theirs entirely.

There was a metallic screaming sound behind him. Red spun around to see a SIR unit sprinting in his direction, wielding a jagged piece of metal. Red took it out with four blasts from his pistol. Looking around, he saw all the SIR units had been destroyed, as well as several pieces of vital machinery on the bridge. The repairs would take days, at least. Moreover, many of the bridge crewmembers were missing antennae. Angrily, Red strode over to the now-flattened box, and searched among the remains for some explanation. He found another small box and a note. He looked at the note, and anger flooded through him.

_Hey, Red! I wonder if you remember these SIR units. Do you?_

_Oh, by the way, there's a nice surprise for you in the other box_

_-ZIM_

Gingerly, Red picked up the box. Expecting some sort of bomb, he shook it lightly. Something round rolled about inside. Red sighed and motioned for an Elite Guard to come over. Handing him the box, Red ordered the soldier to open it, then ran a safe distance away. The unlucky soldier unwrapped the box with his eyes closed, expecting an explosion. There was none. The Elite Guard opened his eyes and looked in the box. With a frightened scream, he threw the box to the floor and shrank back from it. The box landed with a slight squishing sound and a head rolled out and stopped at the feet of Tallest Red. Red also screamed. The head looked up at him with sightless eyes, a wide open mouth, and blood still trickling out of the severed neck.

Purple.

Surprise.

* * *

Once more, the Three Hundred found themselves flying through the great expanse of space in the Cruiser, on the way to yet another battle. As Zim sat in the captain's chair, he mentally took note of the situation. With the defeat of the Elite Guard/nano-drone army, the Three Hundred had immediately set about preparing for the next big obstacle. The first thing Zim had done was ensure Red found out about Purple's death. Zim smiled as he thought about the malfunctioning SIRs they had sent to the Massive. He fervently hoped they had managed to put at least a part of the Massive out of commission.

Once they had finished with that, they had found the ships that the Elite Guard had arrived in. Zim was pleased to see that Purple had taken most of the Armada with him to Devastis. This meant two things: firstly, that the Three Hundred could raid the abandoned ships for weapons and supplies, and secondly, that the Massive was relatively unprotected at the moment. Both of these things were good. Very good.

And raid they did. On each of the ships, they had found a few small fighter ships. About the size of a Voot cruiser, these small vehicles were fast and deadly. Each required only one pilot, and was outfitted with the latest in irken weaponry. These would definitely be useful sooner or later. Zim had ordered all the fighters to be stored away on the Cruiser.

The Cruiser, he needed to stop calling it that.

Among other things, the Three Hundred had found a small store of paint, the kind that one uses to mark ships with. At once, they all clamored for Zim to give the Cruiser they had arrived in a name, and to paint it on the side. With much thought, Zim had finally decided to christen the ship "Caleton." This name was painted onto the sides of the Cruiser in red warpaint.

Zim looked up at the frontal display, at the stars flashing by.

"Pilot!" he said.

Tenn jumped. "Sir!"

"How's our course?"

"We are on a direct course to the last known position of the Massive. The Massive was last reported orbiting Sal Saton, a sun in the upper sector of the third quadrant of the galaxy, not far from Irk. ETA, thirty minutes and counting."

Zim nodded. "Very good. Stay on course. Notify me of anything that may require my attention. I will be in my quarters. Skoodge, you have the bridge."

Skoodge jumped gleefully out of the copilot seat and skipped nimbly into the captain's chair. Settling himself down, he sighed comfortably. Zim rolled his eyes and left out the door.

* * *

Once Red had sufficiently calmed himself down, and seated himself in his normal seat, he immediately set about ordering his men to repair the bridge. Bringing up a small handheld device from the armrest on his chair, he tapped a few buttons and watched as the small screen displayed a continuously updaged schematics of the Massive. He looked over reports on repairs and such, overseeing the work everyone was doing. The Massive was still not yet fully repaired, and several systems were offline. Red looked up. Those damn SIR units had managed to wreck almost every single piece of equipment on the bridge. Taking control of the Massive was going to be very difficult. But not impossible.

"My Tallest!" came a voice to the left.

Red looked over, and saw a small irken bending over the remains of the communications station. "Yes?" he asked.

"Long range scanners indicate a medium-sized fleet moving on a course adjacent the Sal Saton system. It seems someone is trying to leave the galaxy."

Red put down his handheld device. "Can you identify the fleet?"

The irken pressed a few buttons on the smashed console. "There is no identification code on any of the ships. It's not irken, whatever it is."

Red laughed. "I know what it is, though."

He picked up his little device and began sending text orders through it to what remained of the Armada orbiting Sal Saton. Slamming it shut, he replaced it to the armrest of his chair, leaned back, and sighed the name of the fleet that was about to be destroyed.

"Ah, Resisty. Soon you'll be nothing more than dust floating about Space."

* * *

There was a loud alarm from the comm. station left of Lard Nar. He whipped his head over and looked expectantly at the communications officer, who was trembling fearfully.

"Well?"

"It's the Armada, sir."

Lard Nar's blood ran cold. "How many?" he asked.

The comm. officer shook his head. "Too many."

"Pilot!" barked Lard Nar. "Push those engines to the max. Get us out of here." Slamming a button to the side, Lard Nar opened up all channels to his fleet. "Let's go, Resisty. We're out of here."

The entire fleet sped up.

But Armada ships are faster. In seconds, the Armada had overtaken and surrounded them. Lard Nar yelled for his pilot to take evasive action. Another alarm sounded.

"Sir, they're charging up their weapons!" yelled the comm. officer.

"So do the same!" Lard Nar yelled at the alien standing at the weapons station.

The Resisty fleet charged their weapons and fired.

So did the Armada.

Explosions rocked the ship that Lard Nar captained. Seconds later, the hull gave in under the overbearing pressure of weapons fire. Similar things happened to the rest of the Resisty fleet.

The last thing Lard Nar thought before a jagged piece of shrapnel pierced his brain and splattered his blood all over the seat behind him was that some things simply were not fair.

* * *

Zim sat, looking around at the inside of his quarters. It was a sparsely decorated room, larger than that of any other crew member's, but no more adorned. A bed sat with it's headrest opposite the door. To the side, a dresser with a lamp on it. Zim cared little for decorations. He much preferred an empty room; fancy ornaments were distracting. They caught the eye and tugged on the mind, making it restless, and Zim needed to prepare for what was to come. He sat, looking down at the floor between his feet and breathing deeply, clearing his mind and calming his body. Taking full use of the training he had undergone years ago, he attempted to steel himself, for now his mind threatened to give way to fear.

Ah, fear.

He had not felt true fear since the day of the explosion. Only two years ago that had been, but it seemed like a lifetime. Now, it was not fear for his own life that he felt. It was the fear that in the end, he would fail, and with his failure he would destroy the lives of the Three Hundred irkens that followed him. The nagging thought tugged at his mind: was he doing the right thing? Or would this all amount to nothing? Zim shook his head. He must not give in to his fear. What was that the drill sergeant had burned into his mind all those years ago on Devastis? It took little effort to recall. A litany that had been recited trillions of times.

Ah, fear. The greatest enemy.

_The greatest enemy_, he recited mentally, _is that of the fear of the warrior. Fear kills the mind, and renders the body useless. Fear destroys the warrior._

Zim looked up, determination showing in the deep of his countenance. He stood, and strode slowly over to the dresser across from him, upon which lay his sword. Calmly, almost reverently, he placed his hands upon the sword, and ran his claws down the length of the handle. He detached the wrist clip from it, so that he could hold it freely like a true sword.

_We must learn that we are not given our fear. Only we can create our own fear. And in such a way, we are our own greatest enemy, the creators of fear._

Picking the sword up, he pressed the power button. There was a buzzing sound as it activated, becoming a second light source in the room. Zim stood in the center of the room, and closed his eyes. He continued to recite the Litany he had been taught so long ago.

_We must learn to face our fear, and permit it to pass around us. Over us. Under us. Through us. But we must never permit it to become a part of us. We must destroy It._

Eyes closed, he saluted with the sword to the empty air of his room. Then, he launched into is routine. Whirling the sword high above his head, he spun it faster and faster until it was little more than a round circle of light. As quickly as he brought it into such a position, he pulled it out, stabbing it forward. Whirling around, he slashed and hacked at invisible enemies. Any onlooker would have been amazed at such skill.

_And that which we have created shall all but disappear into nothingness. We shall kill our fear in the same manner we kill our enemies._

Whirling and stabbing, his blood coursing through his veins, Zim gave justice to the warrior skill of the irkens. Eyes still closed, mind almost cleared, he began to envision the bridge of the Massive. It was not difficult; he had been there many times. With even less difficulty, he could see in his vision the tall figure of Red. Nearly lost in this trance world, he stopped his routine and saluted the imaginary figure. He continued his recitation as he attacked this apparition of his mind.

_And then, we must become the fear our enemies give unto themselves. For if they fear and you do not, then you have won._

With a deft movement, he severed the imaginary head of Tallest Red. Opening his eyes, he calmed the blood racing through his excited veins, and slowed his breathing. Once more, he brought the sword into a salute. All traces of fear were gone now from his body; the ritual he had undergone had taken care of that. Now, it was excitement that coursed through his body. He had warmed up his muscles, and his mind.

"Fear is the mind killer," he recited aloud. "I have killed mine. Has Red destroyed his?"

* * *

Zim reentered the bridge. Nearly a half hour had passed, and in the distance one could see the bright shine of Sal Saton. Skoodge stood up, but Zim motioned for him to remain sitting. Zim instead walked over to the communications station.

"Open all loudspeaker channels, Tak. I wish to say something."

Tak nodded and pushed a few buttons, then nodded at Zim to speak.

"Irkens, this is your Captain," began Zim. "I have little to say now to you; there is little to be said anyway. We are now entering the Sal Saton system. In minutes, the final battle will begin, and you will all no doubt fight in the manner you are accustomed. Know that for this I could not be any more proud. Proud that so many have followed me in search of freedom. Proud that the one thing I have attempted to teach you, you have learned. To stand up for what you feel is right. I know you are ready to die without a moments pause. So am I. I will say to you this: remember this day, remember this fight, for it shall be yours forever. For if we win, from the ashes of the old ways shall arise a new, glorious nation of pure heroes."

Tak clicked off the loudspeakers. Zim turned to Skoodge and delivered his final orders.

"Skoodge, from this moment forward, you are captain of the _Caleton_. Use her well, she is a strong ship. She has the most modern of weapons, a large fleet of fighter ships at her command, and the best damn crew in the universe. Captain her well."

Skoodge jumped up. "What are you talking about, Zim? You're the captain."

Zim shook his head, and patted the sword he had holstered at his waist. "There are other matters I must attend to. With that, I leave you as captain until my return."

He turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

Zim turned to see Dib standing, looking ever concerned.

"I'm going to meet my maker," he replied, "and repay him in full."

He turned once more to leave. He got as far as the doors when another voice behind him called.

"Irken!" barked Tak.

Zim turned to look over his shoulder.

"If you die, I swear by the Gods I'll kill you," said Tak.

Zim threw his head back and laughed as he exited the bridge.

Tak went back to monitoring the comm. station. Dib looked over at her from his station.

"Jeez, you really do like him don't you?" he said.

"Shut your mouth, human worm, or I will weld it shut for you."

Dib smiled and went back to watching his screens. "Thought so."


	10. All Within My Claws

A/N: So I guess you're all wondering what the title of my previous chapter meant. In case you couldn't figure it out, the title was in gaulish, which is a dead language that originated in Ireland. Directly translated, it means "a glorious nation of pure heroes." That then means that the name Zim gave the Cruiser (_Caleton_) means "heroes."

Yup.

And also, it seems none of you caught the reference in the previous chapter. The Litany about Fear that Zim mentally recited was a tribute to Frank Herbert's DUNE, a marvelous work of science fiction. I highly suggest you read it.

Wow, this was a fast update; just one day between chapters, lol. That's okay, because I'm not going to up for a while. I've decided I'm going to write the last three chapters of this fic before upping any of them; it well help me bring this fic to an end.

Yup! That means that after this one, there are only three chapters left.

Well, that's all for now.

* * *

CHAPTER NINE:

"All Within My Claws"

or

"Behind These Crimson Eyes"

A small fighter ship detached itself from the _Caleton_ and sped off, far ahead of the immense cruiser. Seconds later, it disappeared from view. But though it was unseen, it was still there. With Zim at its controls, it made a beeline for the Massive, which loomed in the distance. Zim sat back and let the auto pilot do all the work. Patting the cloaking device he had borrowed so long ago from Professor Membrane, he laid his head back and let his excitement rush through him.

As the fighter drew nearer to the Massive, Zim saw the damage that the huge warship had sustained. He was filled with yet another rush of confidence.

The damage sustained by the Massive was much bigger than he could have imagined. Nearly the entire back portion of the Massive was torn away, revealing the inner workings of the ship. From his position, Zim could see hundreds of irkens scrabbling about like ants, welding and wiring bits of the ship together.

The side facing Zim was well worn also. Long blackened gashes ran down the length of the Massive, telltale signs of the furious fight that had taken place weeks earlier. Zim leaned forward now as his fighter drew nearer. He searched for a space at the back end of the Massive that was unoccupied by workers. Locating one on the bottom of the Massive, he nosed the fighter into the empty and unwatched space and landed it. He jammed an air helmet onto his head, deactivated the cloaking device, and climbed out of the cockpit.

It was eerily silent outside his ship, where there was no air through which sound could travel. Looking around, Zim found himself in the remains of a crewman bedroom. Zim kicked off from his ship and floated his way to the door in the zero gravity. Grabbing the doorknob, he twisted it and was nearly blown away by the rush of oxygen that escaped from the door. Well, at least he knew the inside of the ship had atmosphere. Against the current, he climbed inside and shut the door. He felt his suit squeeze against his body as air pressure returned, and took off his helmet. He left the helmet by the door.

Zim had been on the Massive before; he knew the general direction in which the bridge was. He also knew that the Massive was a daunting maze. But with a good sense of direction, and a little luck, he knew he would be able to find his way. He ran silently down the hall to a t-section. On a hunch, he turned right. He knew that since he was on the bottom towards the back, he needed to go up and towards the front to reach the bridge, so he mentally drew a compass and followed it. It was a requirement that all irkens, during training, had to learn to navigate mazes and be able not only reach the end, but return to the beginning from the end. In this way, Zim memorized each turn he took, and each stair he mounted. Ever since that day he had attempted to test GIR's navigational chip (and gotten horribly lost in the process), he had resolved to take such lessons more seriously.

But what caught Zim's attention the most was the fact that he met no guards or soldiers along the way. It seemed that the Elite Guard forces were stretched pretty thin, between repairs and running the ship; there must not have been enough irkens to patrol the hallways. Zim didn't complain.

An alarm sounded suddenly throughout the ship, startling Zim. He smiled; the Three Hundred must have arrived. From down both ends of the hall, Zim heard footsteps. He swore under his breath and ducked into a side hallway. Crouching in the shadows, he waited for the soldiers to run by. But they didn't. Zim swore again as the two groups stopped in front of his hiding place.

"Sir! What is going on?" called one of the soldiers.

"Looks like Zim's arrived in that damn ship of his. There's trouble. Looks like the rebel army's got fighters of some sort."

Another voice interrupted, "Come on, men! Let's break it up. You deaf or what? Those alarms are a call to battle stations. What the hell are you doing, standing around here?"

There was a concerto of footsteps as the soldiers dispersed. Zim breathed a sigh of relief and crept out of his hiding place. Continuing on his path, he reckoned that he should be fairly close to the bridge.

* * *

As soon as the Massive had come into view, the Three Hundred had begun to attack. There was little left of the Armada to deal with, and the _Caleton_ was more than equipped to deal with them. Under the skillful claws of Tenn, the sleek cruiser seemed to be everywhere at once. Faster than any of the other ships, it dodged this way and that, being hit few times, but hitting many.

Skoodge sat back in the captain's chair and gave Tenn and Spleen free reign. He gave two orders: for Tenn to keep the _Caleton_ in one piece, and for Spleen to blast the hell out of everything. Tapping keys on his armrest, he gave the Three Hundred the OK signal to launch the fighters.

The belly of the _Caleton_ opened up and hundreds of fighters poured out. Like stinging bees, they darted about, opening fire on the ships of the Armada and falling back when they retaliated. Each one of the highly skilled irkens was a master of space combat; it was part of the irken training.

The battle had begun in full force. The Three Hundred was giving nothing, and taking everything.

* * *

Zim stood in front of the two doors that opened to the bridge of the Massive. He smiled with anticipation as he walked through, the doors parting automatically to let him in.

The bridge was dimly lit, giving it a lonely feeling. Zim looked up and saw that many of the lights had been bashed in and destroyed. Looking around, he saw that much was the same with almost all the equipment. He smiled. Those rabid SIR units had done their job beautifully.

"Yeah, those SIRs you sent sure did a nice job, Zim."

Zim whipped his head around to see Red, crouched on top of a bit of machinery, sword drawn. Red stood and noiselessly slipped to the floor.

"The did so good a job, in fact, that only one system is up and running on the Massive besides life support and parts of communication."

Zim backed away and activated his sword. Red smiled.

"Yeah, I knew you'd come, Zim. I'm not stupid. I knew you would give in to your stupid sense of honor and duty, and come to fight me in person. Face-to-face."

Zim spat arrogantly, "Oh, really? Well, my _Shortest_, how did you know that?"

Red twirled his sword absently. "No speeches, Zim. You were always a whore to the cameras. You loved coming in with a bang. With a show. So, when you didn't try to call me and blow me over with one of your rousing speeches, I knew you were already sneaking onto the Massive. All I had to do was wait."

Zim pointed his sword at Red. "You speak as though this is some sort of trap," he sneered.

"This_ is_ a trap!" said Red, advancing with his sword at the ready.

"AND YOU'RE CAUGHT IN IT!" roared Zim.

Zim jumped up as Red's sword swept low, narrowly missing his feet. Red's sword swung high as Zim brought his down. Whirling, slashing, and parrying, the two fought back and forth, neither gaining any foothold on the other. Like battle-hardened veterans they both fought fiercely neither giving the other an inch.

"You fool! Do you think I would let you simply walk in here?" hissed Red, slashing upwards, missing Zim but cutting several wires above their heads, spraying sparks everywhere.

Zim shielded his eyes from the sparks as he dodged to the left and parried Red's attack. "Yeah, I kind of got that impression."

Red suddenly attacked furiously, slashing and stabbing. Zim dodged backwards, warding off the blows with his sword. "You'd never take me alive, Zim," said Red, raising his sword high, poised to stab down on the small irken.

Zim rolled to the side just as the sword came down on the floor where his head lay. "Idiot! I don't want you alive!"

The battle went much this way for what seemed like ages. The two grunted and roared, and the sound of laser contacting laser rang throughout the ruined bridge.

* * *

Nearly all the Armada ships had been crippled. Surprised by the two pronged attack, the so-called "Elite" Guard were beaten down. The Armada had lost many, and the Three Hundred lost few. Very few. As Tenn maneuvered the _Caleton_ towards the remaining few enemy ships, Skoodge began to get a very bad feeling.

"I don't like this," he whispered.

"Huh? Whuzzat?" Tak had been dozing; her station was not really needed during combat.

Skoodge looked over. "I don't like this. It's too fast. And where's Zim? Something's going on, and I don't like it. I just got a bad feeling, that's all."

He looked out at the Massive. "I'm worried about that thing," he said.

Tak looked down at her display. "I'm picking up little to none power activity on the Massive. They're still doing repairs, and the long range scanners indicate no power spikes around it's weaponry."

Skoodge nodded. "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. The Massive hasn't done anything yet. That scares me."

* * *

Seeing an opening, Zim brought his boot down hard on Red's foot. He swung his other leg outward, disarming the Tallest, then kicked Red in the chest, sending him sprawling. Red flew backwards into a pile of scrap metal. Zim stood over him triumphantly, saluting with his sword.

Red chuckled, and his snigger turned to laughter. Zim squinted.

"Ah, Zim. Who knew you had it in you? To kill a Tallest. What goes on in that devilish mind of yours?"

"You'll never understand what lies behind these full crimson eyes!" retorted Zim. "What just and righteous ideas are formed here. You could never comprehend them."

Red continued his laughter. "Hah! I should have killed you the first chance I had."

Zim narrowed his eyes. "I could say the same about you."

Red shook his head sadly. "Ah, well, you'll all die the same."

"What?"

"Fool, do you think you can truly kill me?" Red looked up at him. "I'm lying right here, and yet I live. Why? Because you want to hear what I am saying. Because in the end, I will win."

Zim raised his sword. "Your overconfidence is your weakness."

"Your faith in your army is yours."

Zim halted his swing. "What?" he said again.

Red scoffed. "You idiot. It was all within your claws to save them. You could have made like the Resisty. You could have fled. But NO, you wanted to fight for your 'honor' and 'duty.' Such foolish ideals have led to your downfall. And now, you think your pitiful little army can stand up to the Massive. They will die, and it is your fault."

Zim backed away and raised his arms, indicating the bridge. "You're crazy. Look at all this damage. What can this floating scrap ball do? You yourself said that the Massive was grossly damaged. That only one system was really up and running."

Red truly laughed loudly now. "And what system do you think is running, Zim?"

Zim's eyes grew wide, and he dropped his sword to the ground in shock. Red laughed again.

"Yes, now you're getting the picture aren't you?"

"This _is_ a trap," gasped Zim.

"And YOU'RE caught in it!" yelled Red.

Zim fought the fear that swelled up within him. "Tak," he whispered.

Zim turned and ran.

* * *

When the last Armada ship had been destroyed, Tenn turned the _Caleton_ to face the Massive. The huge warship was still a long ways off, out of weapons range. Just as Tenn reached for the throttle, a fighter uncloaked directly in front of the _Caleton_. Spleen nearly blasted it out of reflex before realizing it was Zim's fighter. Tak opened up a channel to Zim.

"Zim! What is your problem? Spleen nearly killed you that time."

Zim's voice crackled through the speakers.

"Stop! Don't go any further! The Massive's weapons are fully active! But their engines aren't online, so they can't chase us. Stay here, I'm coming aboard again."

Tak closed the line and looked over at the rest of the bridge crew. They all looked apprehensive.

Zim landed the fighter in the docking bay of the _Caleton_. Turning off the engines, he leaned forward and rested his forehead on the steering controls. All for nothing. It had all been for nothing. It was a standoff now. The Three Hundred could not advance, and if the retreated, the Massive would be repaired and they would be hunted down. Red was right. It had all been in his claws to save the remains of the free irkens. But had been so stupid, so blinded by his hatred.

"So fucking stupid…" he whispered to himself.

He hit his head on the steering controls violently. Stupid. So. Stupid. He looked down at the cloaking device he had used to shield his fighter. Remembering back to the day he borrowed the Professor's things, he recalled how much he had taken. Zim shook his head. He had never really been able to thank the Professor for all the technology he had borrowed from him.

Zim's eyes widened.

The things he had borrowed.

Zim laughed. A solution was forming in his mind.

* * *

The doors of the bridge parted and let a very excited Zim in. Professor Membrane and Zeekee were trailing behind him.

"Alright, I have an idea," announced Zim, "that will end this standoff."

Zim walked over to Dib and began discussing something.

Professor Membrane watched the two talking animatedly. Zeekee observed the Professor's expression.

"The Professor ees fond of the Zim, no?"

Professor Membrane looked down at the rat. Zeekee was certainly a perceptive one. "He is an interesting influence on my son," he answered. "My son has felt a certain...attachment to him from the day they met. At first it was obsession, then rivalry, then, in the very last days of Zim's stay on earth, friendship."

Zeekee looked over at the two talking.

"I sees, they are good friends."

Professor Membrane nodded. "Yes, good friends."

_Better than I have been in the past_, thought Professor Membrane. _Everyone, even his own father, has ignored Dib in the past. Yet, Zim did not. Does that make him better than everyone else?_

"Zim, I don't understand what you're saying," Dib was saying.

Zim rolled his eyes. "It's so simple. Okay, how about this: remember the day you found me lying in that puddle?"

"How the hell could I forget that?"

"Yes, yes, but do you remember what we did in school?" asked Zim.

Dib rubbed his temples. "We fought, just like we always did. I don't get it, Zim, just say it."

Zim sighed. "Do you remember what the teacher was talking about that day, Dib?"

Dib shook his head. "No I don't remem-"

Dib was gripped with a sudden realization.

"No way, Zim," he said, shaking his head. "No way, no way. You're damn crazy."


	11. Supernova

A/N: Yes, the previous chapter titles were taken from songs. "All Within My Claws" is from Metallica's "All Within My Hands, and "Behind These Crimsons Eyes" is from Kelly Clarkson's "Behind These Hazel Eyes." Nobody pointed that out, so I thought I would.

Please! If you see any sort of reference, point it out. I can't stress this enough. It's a game. Try to win.

Lol, I bet when Zim asked Dib if he remembered what happened in the last day of class, you all scrambled to reread the first chapter of Z for Zim. NO? You didn't? Why not? I referenced it!

Still not guessed the Bruce Willis movie I'm going to reference? Well, it's in this chapter. See if you can catch it.

Do you all remember the Storage Cube? I'm bringing it back for one last hurrah.

Ah, well.

I'm out of school now, so updates may start to pick up.

* * *

CHAPTER TEN:

"Supernova"

"A Supernova!?" yelled Dib. "Okay, not only is that the stupidest thing I've ever heard, we don't even have the means to produce a Supernova! Never mind the fact that it would be hard enough to outrun the explosion that would follow!"

Zim rolled his eyes. "It's so easy, Dib worm! You just need to take a bit of mass out of Sal Saton's core, and it would lead to a collapse of the sun's surface! Don't you remember anything Miss Bitters taught us?"

The onlookers on the bridge watched as Dib and Zim argued.

"Oh, so you're just going to waltz right in to the center of a sun, grab some core, and waltz write back out? How exactly do you intend to survive even going anywhere near the sun? Even the Massive is thousands of miles from its surface. Do you know why? Because even at that distance, there is enough energy and heat to power an entire ship!"

"Don't you dare try to tell me how cosmic energies work, stupid human! I was harvesting solar power long before you were even born!"

Unable to contain himself, Zeekee scuttled forward and pushed Zim and Dib backwards, away from each other. "Shuts up, now! Dib human, listen to what the Zim says. Zim, cease your argumenting and explains for every one!" he hissed.

Zim sighed, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the Storage Cube, yet another piece of equipment he had borrowed from Professor Membrane.

"What's that going to do?" asked Dib sarcastically. "Store the sun? What can you possibly do with that?"

Professor Membrane stepped forward. "Of course! Now I understand what you are intending!"

Everyone looked from Professor Membrane to Zim. "So, is someone going to explain?" asked Tak.

"It's brilliant, really," said Professor Membrane, taking the Storage Cube from Zim. He rolled the small cube around between his fingers. "Not, of course, the original intent of its design. I had invented this to be used as a storage device. But, I suppose this is a fitting use for it."

Dib rolled his eyes. "Explain please."

Zim did not take his eyes of the Storage Cube. "I got to thinking about this device, and I wondered: How large is it, really? In space, size and mass are a factor in determining gravity. The bigger the object, the more gravity it has. That's why you can orbit something as large as the sun, but not something as small as a ship. Because suns are larger. But this cube, in its amazing design, compresses a nearly infinite amount of space into a finite area. Wouldn't something that large in something that small create large amounts of gravity and pressure?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Professor Membrane. "That's how it works. You press this button…" he pressed a button on one of the sides. It opened, and he put his keys in front of the opening. "… and you put an object in front of it, and presto! It get's sucked in and stored. Then you press the other button, and it allows the objects to fall out. But the reason objects get literally 'sucked' in is because of the gravity created by so much space."

Professor Membrane retrieved his keys and handed the cube back to Zim. Zim held it in his claws and looked at it reverently. "An amazing design," Zim said. "But what I don't understand is this: there should be a lot of gravity, more than enough to just simply suck in small objects. There should be massive amounts of gravity for such a large space contained inside it."

Professor Membrane nodded. "Yes. I put a mechanism on the inside that limits the gravity going through. It should be easy enough to remove, though."

Dib held up his hands. "All right, wait up. As ingenious as this plan is, how are we going to get near the sun? And how are we going to get this thing to turn on and take some mass."

Zim smiled. "That's the easy part. I just get a fighter, shield it heavily, fly it as far as I can, then activate it."

Dib sat down. "But Zim, that would mean--"

"…that whoever went would not come back?" Zim finished. "Yeah, I know."

Tenn shook her head. "No. There's got to be another way."

Zim turned to look at her. "You got a better plan? Think of one, and tell me. Until then, Professor, I think you and I have some work to do." He tossed the cube to the Professor and led him off the bridge.

The bridge crew sat in silence for a minute. All of them were shocked by how quickly everything had just happened. Dib got up and left.

"No," he said. "I've got to stop them. There's got to be another way."

* * *

Red sat calmly in his chair on the bridge, looking at the frontal display. Onscreen was a view of the stationary cruiser that belonged to Zim. Red smiled. There was surely nothing now. If they came any closer, he would blast them out of existence. But such would happen anyway; soon enough, he would have the engines of the Massive up and running. Then, there would be no escape.

An Elite Guard hurried through the doors of the bridge. "My Tallest! I have word from the repair crews."

Red turned and nodded at the irken to continue.

"The repair crew tells me that we are less than an hour away to restoring the rear thruster engines. When this has finished, It will be a matter of minutes to get the Massive moving properly."

Red dismissed the irken with a wave of his claw. His evil smile widened. Soon. Oh, so soon. He could hardly wait. He sighed with satisfaction as he imagined all the things he would do to Zim.

And that pretty Tak girl too. Oh, the fun he would have.

* * *

Dib found Zim in the hangar bay, attaching shields to the outside of his ship.

"Just a few shields, then boost the power of the shields already equipped on the fighter… hmm…. It should be enough," Zim muttered to himself as he worked.

Dib stopped and looked up at Zim. "There has to be another way," he said.

Zim looked down at him. "Well? Do you have one?"

Dib looked at his feet. "Why's it gotta be this way?"

Zim jumped down and placed a claw on Dib's shoulder. "Even I don't question the work of the Gods, Dib. This is the way fate has decreed this ends. If I don't jump in that ship, fly into that sun, and blow the hell out of everything, then all that I have worked for up until now will all have been for nothing."

Dib mumbled something.

"What was that, human?" asked Zim.

"You died on me once already."

Zim stepped back. "What?"

Dib stared into Zim's eyes. "You died on me once already, Zim. That day the Swollen Eyeball sent you back to me, I had hopes. Hopes that maybe, just maybe, we could be real friends. It wasn't until after you died, I realized how much you being alive meant to me. You were the only person on that goddamned rock of a planet that noticed I existed. You took me for who I truly was: a young man who new things. You didn't see me as the crazed lunatic everyone else assumed I was. You realized how smart I was. You almost respected me. And that's what kept me alive. And when you were gone, well, you know what happened."

Dib rolled up his sleeves and ran his fingers across the scars that marked his wrists. Zim grabbed Dib's arm and pulled his sleeves back down.

"So, what, Dib? You're just going to try and kill yourself all over again? Is that it? Take the easy way out, the cowards way? Do you realized how much you have to live for? Your sister! Your father! And what about after this battle? The legacy of freedom from the Tallest that I leave behind. Freedom, Dib! You have so much to live for, much more than the life of one single pitiful little irken."

Tears welled up in Dib's eyes. "You are so much more than that, Zim! What about Tak? She loves you so much, even if it doesn't show. Are you going to just leave her behind?"

"What would you have me do?" screamed Zim. "This is the only way!"

He turned and leaned his head against the fighter. "It's the only way," he whispered.

Dib sighed and looked at his feet once more. Tears dripped onto his battle-worn shoes, leaving trails of white through the dust. He walked over to the ship, grabbed a shield, and began attaching it to the outside.

"Come on."

When the two finished minutes later, they exited the hangar through the elevator.

* * *

Zim entered the bridge, and ordered Tak to hail the Massive.

"I want to say a few things to Red. Don't worry, I'm not going to give away the plan. I just want to get him with a nice speech."

Tak nodded and wordlessly opened a channel to the Massive. Seconds later, their call was answered and Red's face appeared on the frontal display. The Tallest wore a victorious and smug grin on his face.

"So, Zim. Calling back to surrender?"

Zim sat down in the captain's chair and smiled cheekily. "No, actually. I was about to ask you to surrender. Funny, that."

Red's smile faded. "Don't annoy me, Zim. You've annoyed me enough. In just a few minutes, the Massive's engines will be online. At that time, if you have not surrendered, you might find it wise to turn your ship around and run."

"In just a few minutes, my Tallest," replied Zim, "quite the opposite will be happening."

"You think this is funny? You disgusting little worm! Just come a few miles closer, and I'll blast that smile off your face with super cannons and lasers!"

Zim threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, my Tallest. Ever the one for firepower. You've thrown a lot of that around. Fire, I mean. Power, too. I've faced fire, oh red one. Have you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Zim stood. "Over two years ago, I faced the fires of my own death. I was enveloped in flames and destruction. It was of my own making, true, but it was death all the same. I stood and I met my end. Perhaps you should do the same."

Now it was Red's turn to laugh. "Oh, Zim. You amuse me, truly. You expect me to just sit here and die?"

Zim shook his head. "No, not really. But I suggest you greet your eternity anyway."

* * *

Zim held the Cube in his hands.

"That's all finished now," said Professor Membrane. "You press that button, and you'll get a gravitational force equal to several hundred super stars."

Zim, Professor Membrane, and Dib were standing in the hall that led to the elevator shaft. Zim put the Cube in his pocket.

"Right."

He jammed a helmet onto his head.

"Time to go."

He nodded at the two.

"Well, this is a hasty goodbye. So, I won't try and drag it out. We've got precious little time, and I've got to go now."

Dib nodded, fighting back tears. "Goodbye, Zim."

"Goodbye, human."

Professor Membrane looked back and forth at the two of them. Then, producing a helmet of his own, he jammed it on his head.

"I'm going with you, at least as far as the hanger. There are some things I want to tell you. Before you go, at least," he said to Zim.

Zim nodded, and walked down the hall towards the elevator. Professor Membrane followed. Dib stood in the hallway and watched the two go.

They entered the elevator. Pressing a few buttons, Zim closed the clear fiberglass doors and put the elevator in descent.

"What was it you wanted to tell me, Professor?" he asked as they descended.

The Professor looked down at the small alien. "It's more of a question, really."

Zim cocked his head and listened.

"It's just, I wanted to know, is it true, those things Dib says about you?" asked Professor Membrane.

"I'm quite sure Dib says a lot of things about me. Which things are you talking about?"

"That you respected him, even from the beginning?"

Zim watched the floors whiz by through the translucent doors. "Yes. Respected, and perhaps even feared. He was a formidable enemy, and a wonderful friend. Even though we have been friends for a short while."

The Professor leaned against the side. "You saw the potential in him from the very beginning. But I, I just assumed he was insane."

Zim looked up. "What?"

"I always thought he was crazy. Rattling on about aliens, and yetis. I never tried to understand him."

"That does not make you any less of a person. I can't blame you, frankly. I wouldn't have believed him."

The Professor shook his head. "Maybe, but I still think I should have."

The elevator slowed to a stop, and from inside, the two could see the hangar doors opening. There was a faint sucking sound as atmosphere was vented from the hangar. Zim pressed a few buttons on the control panel next to him. There was another, louder sucking sound as air was vented from the elevator. The doors opened.

"This is where I leave you," said Zim. He held out a claw

Professor Membrane shook it. Zim turned to leave, but as he stepped out of the elevator, so did Professor Membrane. The Professor pulled out a knife and stabbed into Zim's helmet, cracking it. There was a hissing sound as air escaped. Zim struggled to breathe.

"What the- What?" he gasped. "Wh-Why?"

Professor Membrane grabbed the Cube from Zim's pocket, pushed Zim back into the elevator shaft and closed it. Air returned to the elevator and Zim pulled off his damaged helmet.

"What are you doing?" he yelled through the doors.

"What I must. I can't let you do this, Zim." Professor Membrane punched the control panel next to the elevator and Zim began rising out of view.

"Take care of Dib!" he called.

He ran to the ship, jumped in, and blasted the fighter out of the hangar. Activating the cloaking mechanism that he had designed so many years ago, he watched as the bright light of Sal Saton grew brighter.

_I should have done this years ago,_ he thought. He looked back at the rapidly fading cruiser. _Forgive me, Dib. But I have to do this._

* * *

Dib was horrified to see Zim stumble back out of the elevator.

"Zim! What the hell…?"

"Go! We must go to the bridge! Your father stopped me. He's going instead."

"What!? NO!"

Dib lunged for the elevator, but Zim held him back.

"No, Dib! There's nothing we can do!"

Dib cried out for his father as Zim dragged him away.

* * *

Another Elite guard entered the bridge of the Massive.

"Three minutes to engine activation, my Tallest."

Red smiled. "Perfect."

* * *

The bridge doors opened and Zim entered, dragging the weeping boy behind him.

"Get us out of here, Tenn!"

Tenn turned around, surprised to see Zim. "What? Zim what's going--"

"Just turn the damn ship around, now!"

Tenn jumped to, and slammed the controls around.

The ship was fast, and within seconds they were out of the Sal Saton system.

* * *

But supernovas can span several hundred systems.

Red stood watched as the _Caleton_ turned tail and fled.

_Yes, my prey,_ he silently called. _Run, and give me a chase I shall enjoy._

* * *

Professor Membrane marveled at the irken technology he was surrounded by. It had been only minutes, and he was already entering the surface of the sun. He hoped the speed of the fighter would take him to the core before it burned up. He looked at the display near his hand that monitored shield strength. It had started at 100, but as he had gotten closer to Sal Saton, the heat began wearing it away. It now read, _**80**_

He looked around in wonder. No scientist had ever seen the sun so close before. With a jolt, the fighter broke through the surface.

_**60**_

He continued to stare. It was all so marvelous, so wonderful. So many scientists theorized that life began in the center of stars. That matter is born from the death of stars.

From Supernovas.

An alarm sounded. The fighter was loosing power fast.

_**40**_

And when stars exploded, they threw matter out into the far reaches of space. And from such matter sprang new life, new planets, new stars. Like a great phoenix, life sprang from the ashes of a dead entity.

_**20**_

He pulled the Cube from his pocket and gazed at it. Such a small device. So small, yet its purpose was so big.

_**10**_

He pressed the button on the side.

There was a great rush of air as he, the ship and its surroundings were sucked inside.

His last thought was of Dib, and how wonderful a child he had always been.

* * *

"Sir!" yet another Elite Guard rushed into the bridge.

Red turned to address him, surprised to se the irken in a panicked state. "Yes?"

"There's something wrong! Sal Saton is behaving oddly."

Red strode over to the pilot station and brought up views of the sun onscreen. His jaw dropped. The surface of the great sun was fluctuating erratically. Solar flares shot out along its surface rapidly.

"Supernova," he gasped. "It's a fucking supernova."

He turned to the Elite Guard. "Get this ship moving! We need to get out of here!"

The irken shook his head. "We can't move. Engines aren't online yet."

Red slammed his claws onto the controls. Looking back up he saw the surface of the Sun rolling madly. He knew he had but seconds left to live. Tears of resignation rolled down his cheeks.

"Hello, eternity," he whispered. "My name's Red."

* * *

The crew of the _Caleton_ all felt a massive jolt as a wave of debris, the shockwave of the supernova, jarred the ship. Tak was thrown to the ground as the ship shook violently. Dib put his head on his arms and rested them on the controls of his station. That was it. His father was dead. He cried silently. He opened his eyes and looked past his arms. Beneath the computers, he saw a small envelope that was marked, "_Dib_." He picked it up. Inside was a disk.

"Tenn!" ordered Zim. "Display rear cameras onscreen."

The frontal display flickered and showed a rear view. All Zim could see was the last fringes of star fire fading into nothingness. He sighed with relief. They had made it.

* * *

Dib sat in his quarters, and popped the disk into the laptop he always kept in his room. Opening up the disk folder, he found that there was a single video file. He double clicked it and sat back.

_

* * *

_

Professor Membrane's face appeared onscreen.

"_Hello, son," he said. "I don't have much time now, but I have to stop Zim. I can't let him go kill himself."_

_Professor Membrane leaned forward._

"_I know this will be hard for you to accept, but you must understand why I have to take his place. For thirteen years, I chose to ignore everything you tried to tell me. For thirteen years, I was the worst father any young man could have. I know that I will never be able to make up for that. Forgive me, my son. I am so sorry for everything. But now I have a chance to at least somewhat redeem myself._

"_I have heard many times that Zim was one of the only people who ever believed in you, even if it was for the wrong reasons. And this I can readily believe as I observe the two of you interact. And it is for this reason that I cannot let him die. I know that Zim would be a better person to you than I ever could be. And so, I must say goodbye._

"_I love you."_

* * *

Dib paused the video and laid his hand on the likeness of his father. Tears rolled freely down his cheeks as he touched the picture.

"I love you, Dad."

He slumped forward, lay his head on the desk and cried until he fell asleep.

* * *

Zim sat alone on the floor, leaning against the back wall of the bridge and staring at the frontal display. He fought back tears as he watched the bits of debris float away from where Sal Saton had once shined brightly. He bitterly wished that it had been him to die.

He heard the _swish_ sound of the doors parting to let someone in. Turning to look, he saw Tak enter. She sat down beside him and too stared at the screen. He shook his head sadly, his eyes becoming glassy with tears.

"It should have been me," he whispered. "It should have been me."

He looked over at Tak. "Hatred. All these years, I have been filled with hate. Hate for the Tallest. Hate for the system they stand for. Hate taught me how to think, how to act, how to breath. I lived only for the day I would take my revenge on the Tallest, decding that I would happily die taking that revenge. Now, I have nothing left to live for. Nothing, but you. I saw you fighting those law-drones off back on Conventia, and I thought there was no more beautiful sight."

He stared off into space, recalling memories. "I kept my identity hidden from you, because I knew you would hate me. I knew you lived for the day you would take your revenge on me, just as I lived for such things as well. So I loved you from afar."

He sighed, his breathing ragged with sadness. "I only hoped you would forgive me."

Tak looked over at Zim. She saw tears threatening to fall from his large crimson eyes. She saw his jaw clench as he fought to keep his composure.

Disdaining all feelings, she leaned over and hugged him fiercely. He hugged back.

"I love you, Zim" she said.

And they both cried.


	12. Epilogue

A/N: Ah, well. It has been nearly half a year since I began Z for Zim, and now this sequel fic is nearly over. It almost makes me sad, except that I am excited to be moving on into the Redwall universe when I am finished ravaging the works of Jhonen Vasquez. I'm still debating on who should write the afterword…

And, Congratulations to Zimsmostloyalservant for being the person to catch the most homages, quotes, references, parodies, and nods in both Z for Zim and 300. Congrats also to him for being the first to point out the Bruce Willis movie I used in the previous chapter. Nobody saw that one coming, eh?

Lol.

I hope you guys have had at least half as fun as I have.

* * *

EPILOGUE

I finished typing and looked up from my laptop across the dining table to see Zim sitting there with a smile that indicated he was quite finished and glad to be so. I looked back down at the bright luminescent screen I had been staring at for the past few hours. Was the story truly finished?

We were sitting in the Membrane household. Dib and Gaz had extended the dining table to accommodate extra guests. Across from me sat Zim, and around him, his friends and comrades. I looked around at them.

Dib and Gaz sat there, of course. This was, after all, their house. The two of them had known Zim for as long as he had appeared on earth. Both had aged somewhat since the events of our story. Not physically, no, but you could see it in their eyes. They had seen many things that others their age had not.

Fin, now an old irken who had seen many years, but such was not readily discernable about him. He was of a strong build, looked as young as any other irken, and spoke in a forward manner that contrasted with the subservient demeanor I am told he displayed to the once great Tallest.

Zeekee, a lovable oversized rat whose thirst for knowledge and mind for technology has never ceased to amaze me.

Skoodge, an overzealous yet no less charming young irken. The only thing that rivals his enthusiasm is his large appetite, which has been known to clear houses.

And Tak, the lovely irken girl whose beauty matched her deadly instinct.

I stared around at these friends of Zim, each who had a part in the grand story, each readily willing to tell it. It had been this way for nearly half a year. I would step into the Membrane household at exactly 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon, and find myself in the midst of irkens, as well as other aliens. We would sit down, and Zim (with the aid of his friends) would relate to me his story.

And such a long way we had come, indeed. When I had first asked Zim to co-author a book with me about his travels after earth, he had refused. Now, however, he was more than willing to tell the world his tale of triumph and agony.

These thoughts whizzed through my head as I stared back at the bright screen that had been the only source of light in the otherwise dark room. With a flick of my wrist, I moved the cursor to the top of the page of the Microsoft Word document I had been typing. The others sat in silence as I wrote a chapter title: "Supernova." I scrolled back down to the bottom and reviewed the last few lines. I didn't understand. Zim had told me that this was to be the last chapter. How could the story end like this? It was worse than when Jhonen Vasquez announced the end to his documentaries. I looked up once more.

"Is that it?" I asked.

Zim nodded.

I sat back. "But the story can't be over! I mean, this can't be the last chapter!"

Zim said, "Ah, but it is. You see, we were called upon to write the story of my travels when I left Earth. That story is quite finished. As you can see, I am back on Earth. You may think that it is a terrible place to stop, but, were we to continue, your book would merely become a story of my entire life. And that, I am not willing to narrate. Not now, at least. And the job the Three Hundred had of picking up the pieces of the shattered Empire, that too is another story for another time."

I nodded, understanding. So, that was it. A man's story never ends, and each story we write about him merely becomes a chapter in his entire life. And now, I had just finished a story that became but another chapter in Zim's life. Dib smiled.

"When this is published," Dib said, "I'm going to stick a copy of both of these books next to my Invader Zim documentaries."

Zim reached over and punched him playfully in the arm. "Yeah, I bet Jhonen Vasquez thanked you profusely for that security footage you gave him years ago!"

They both laughed. When they quieted down, Zim looked at me and said, "However, I do think that this story is missing something. A sort of, I don't know, beginning and end to the beginning and end. I know you've been keeping journals of these days that we've spent together, so put them together and write about how you first started this project."

I nodded, and that was how the Prologue and Epilogue of these two books was born. I like to think my journal-like entries have somewhat helped. I got to work on these two parts the next day.

I also approached Zim on doing a sort of foreword for Z for Zim. I felt it important that he have some sort of thing to say in reflection. And in my opinion, the foreword he wrote was just fine. I think I may have Dib write the final afterword.

Now, I believe there are just a few things left to say. Please bear with me as I bring these pages to a close.

* * *

I stood out in the cemetery at which the Membrane family honored their dead, in front of a row of three graves. As I gazed down at the names that were carved across the gray stones, Zim walked up silently and stood by me.

_Zim_

_Gloria Membrane_

_Membrane J. Membrane_

Three names on three pieces of stone, below which were the graves.

"But the graves are empty," said Zim, reading my mind. "There are no bodies beneath the surface of this peaceful green grass. No physical evidence that they ever existed. No proof that their lives held any meaning. None, but the stories we write and the memories we keep."

I knelt down by the grave of the Professor whose life had been sacrificed to save Three Hundred lives; whose selfless act had changed the course of galactic history. I sat in reverence in the presence of such a spirit. A great man had once told me that life is the only thing a person truly owns, and how one uses that greatest gift we are given defines who we are. Surely a man who had given his life for a greater good, abandoned that greatest gift for something he felt more important, was a great man? Reaching across, I traced the lettering across the tombstone's surface lightly. These were words that Dib had written himself.

_**Professor Membrane J. Membrane**_

_Once a hero,_

_Always a Dad._

* * *

I feel it necessary to say a few final words about these chronicled events that Zim and I (mostly Zim) have worked to write. Call me meticulous, but I feel there are a few questions left unanswered which I shall write here.

The first is rather obvious. Zim survived his ordeal, and came back to live on Earth with Dib and Gaz. With him came a few friends, but many stayed behind to rebuild the Empire, which Zim has told me is now a great Republic. But what many may not know, is that Zim is now officially the guardian of Dib and Gaz. When he came back, Dib made a deal with the Swollen Eyeball to keep their hands off Zim and his friends. Zim then set about buying the Membrane house and adopting Dib and Gaz. However, it becomes more and more apparent that Dib and Gaz run the household. Zim is just along for the ride, glad to be among friends.

The second thing I feel I need to narrate is a happy one, which contrasts with the depressing end of Three-Hundred. Along with becoming part of the Membrane family, Zim has started a family of his own. It may come as no surprise that he married Tak. Then again, it may come as a complete surprise. But as I sit here writing this final Epilogue, I am bombarded by their two beautiful (though wild and mischievous) children, Tim and Zak. I feel the utmost happiness for the two irkens. They both deserve this happiness for all that they have been through.

And lastly, as it is most likely apparent, the two Tallest are no more. Perhaps this is unnecessary to write, but I feel it needs saying. They and their quest for galactic hegemony has been stopped, and now reversed. I smile as I think of the final blow which Zim struck to the Empire. Or rather, the final blow that _Professor Membrane _struck to the Empire.

I have seen the video feed from the rear cameras of the _Caleton_, recordings of the supernova. It was the most wonderful and sad things I had ever seen. As I look up at the sun which our tiny backwater planet orbits, I wonder, what would it be like for such a thing to simply disappear? Many of us cannot even comprehend the idea of there being no sun, much less no Earth. So while the explosion was brilliant and beautiful, the idea that a sun had died, as well as a good Professor, was saddening. But that supernova marked the end of a story.

And so, just like a suicide explosion had begun Zim's tale, so did one end it.

Well I do believe that this is the end, or rather, it is the beginning of a chapter in Zim's life which I have no doubt will be as eventful as the previous ones. I wish you, reader, the best in your quest for more Invader Zim.

Sincerely,

-_The Silenced One._

_

* * *

_

Please read the afterword that proceeds this chapter.


	13. Afterword

AFTERWORD

I was sitting down, not long ago, to a lunch of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches and chips when my doorbell rang. This was most certainly odd, as Gaz and I never had visitors, and Zim was not well known under his new disguise. It had been nearly a year since we had returned from the Sal Saton system and made a new life, and we still did not have many acquaintances. Setting my lunch down on the counter, I walked past the television room towards the door. I could hear GIR, Tim, and Zak in the other room laughing crazily at the television. By now, I was used to the sound and could block it out with little effort. Placing a hand on the doorknob, I gave it a little twist and opened the door to a young man who stood about a head taller than me. I did not know at all who he was, and was more than a little annoyed that a stranger would come knocking at my door right as I was about to sit down to my lunch.

"Can I help you?" I asked, allowing some annoyance to seep into my voice.

The young man shifted his weight uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, yeah. Is this the Membrane household?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Yes. Why?"

"I'd like to speak to Zim. I'm a writer, and I've got a proposal for him. Here, here's my card."

The guy handed me a card, which I shoved into my pocket without even bothering to look at it. Turning around, I called for Zim to come down and waited for the light patter of his footsteps to reach the stairs. I returned to my lunch as Zim talked with the strange man. A few minutes later, I heard the front door slam, and watched as Zim stormed by muttering something about blood-sucking vampire authors. I decided not to push the subject, and instead applied myself to my food.

The next day, Zim came down to breakfast and asked me to call the young man back. Behind him, followed Tak, who had obviously said something to Zim to change his mind. Remembering that I had the author's card, I ran upstairs and emptied the pockets of my previous day's laundry. The card fell out and I grabbed it and ran downstairs to the phone.

I picked up the receiver and was about to dial the number, when I saw the name on the card. I raised my eyebrows as I read the name out loud for the assembly at the breakfast table.

"The Silenced?"

* * *

The phone call that I made that day would lead to several more calls, two conference calls with an off-planet third party, two meetings, and several weekends of storytelling.

But while it may have seemed like it took a lot of work for Zim and The Silenced to publish the two-part saga of Zim's antics, and while it may have seemed at the time to be a useless venture, I do think that the effort put in was well worth the while. I think that it is important that people know the real life stories of those who have been through difficult situations. The morals of the stories are clear: Good guys win, bad guys lose. But there is so much more to it than that. There is so much we can learn from stories, even those that are fictional.

We learn that oppression exists, and it runs rampant in our galaxy; the Tallest are a testament to that. We learn that evil has much the same effect. We learn that power and greed can lead to death and despair. We learn that we must never allow ourselves to be consumed by our depression, lest we make a mistake of giving away the greatest gift that our Creators have given us.

But, most importantly, we learn that we can overcome the most overbearing of obstacles, if only we have confidence in ourselves.

I know. Sounds cheesy, right?

But after my own near-death experiences, and after Zim's scrapes with eternity, we both have come to an understanding of what it is to die, and what it is to overcome such obstacles, like wishing you were dead.

But there is more. From stories we learn what it is to be human. And I think that the word 'human' should be defined before I finish that thought. In prose, we use the words 'human' and 'animal' to describe two very different things. So different, in fact, that they are exact opposites. 'Animals' are those that care naught but for themselves, and their desires. They have no morals, and will do anything to get what they want. 'Humans' are those who are not perfect, no, nothing is perfect, but they are not animals. They have their mistakes, but they will almost always do what they feel is right, and fight to overcome their wrongs and weaknesses.

And in this sense, I believe Zim, who is not really a human, is more human than any of us could ever be.

* * *

I was recently recalling the day that Zim changed his mind about writing his story with The Silenced. I remembered that it almost seemed like Tak was the one who pushed him to it. That made sense, of course. Tak was a rock of good sense. I think that's why they clicked together so well. So, I asked Tak what it was she had done to convince Zim to tell his story to the world and galaxy. I'll leave you with the words she spoke to me:

"A great irken once spoke a rhyme to me, that filled me to the core with a feeling that all stories, fictional or not, should be remembered. To be remembered is to remind those that recall such stories that mistakes can be made, and that such mistakes can be fixed. That irken was Zim. He taught me never to forget, and sometimes, not to forgive. I think that it is important that we remember the horror the Tallest caused, so that we can make sure it never happens again. _That,_ Dib, is why his story should be told. So we can always remember this important lesson: never to repeatr our mistakes. Has he not taught you the rhyme?

_"'Recall, Recall,_

_The scheme of the Tall,_

_Their selfish ambition and plot._

_It should be our mission,_

_That this selfish ambition_

_shall never be forgot.'"_

* * *

I suppose I shall leave you here with that thought. I wish you, reader, the best in whatever you may do in life.

Sincerely,

_Dib Membrane._


	14. Final Author's Note

Final Author's Note

Whoops, sorry guys. I just wanted to say a few more things:

* * *

--LOL, I forgot to bring back a small detail in my story, so for those of you who have not yet reread my new Afterword, please do.

* * *

--And, it looks like this fic was about half as long as Z for Zim, and has about half as many reviews... nice.

* * *

--I have mentioned this before, but I have not announced it in the way it should be said. And so…

I, The Silenced, with the powers vested in me by this website and the great Powers that Be, without further ado, and with all pomp, celebration, and festivity affixed to such an achievement, do hereby warmly congratulate Zimsmostloyalservant for being the first reader to catch the most homages, quotes, references, parodies, nods, and plagiarisms in the preceding two Invader Zim stories. Namely, the two fan-fictions "Z for Zim," and "Three-Hundred."

And, due to his extraordinary ability to be so highly observant during the course of the aforementioned fan-fictions, receive his prize from all readers whom, from this day forward, read this official document of this fanfiction website.

And, it is the request of this Author (namely, The Silenced) that all readers whom, from this day forward, read this official document of this website , do applaud in the manner that they are so accustomed, this grand achievement of a devoted reader (namely, Zimsmostloyalservant).

This applause, of course, being the prize that he has so rightfully won.

And, with that, I close this segment of this official document of this fanfiction website.

* * *

--Before I leave, I just want to take some time to shamelessly advertise my next fanfiction project. Over the course of my writing IZ fanfics, I have been formulating an new series in my mind for the Redwall Fanfiction Section. If you are a fan of Redwall, or its Fanficitons, I ask you to stop by my profile page once in a while and check to see if I have written anything new towards this series yet, and read if I have. It will be called the "Dark Forest Mythos," and the first part is called "The Exorcism of Matthew Rose." I'm still debating on whether or not to rate this particular fic "M" or "T."

But whatever the case may be, I ask you to read them if you are a fan of Redwall, because I love you all.

Lol

Well, that's it I'm done here. I guess I'll close this series for good. I hope you liked it.

-the silenced


End file.
